Teana's Travels Book 15: Equestria Girls
by D.K.N
Summary: The girls of Gamma Team are sent to the world of Equestria, magically granted pony-form transformations to better fit in. There, they will forge a bond with the six Harmony Element bearers, solicit the help of the powerful and benevolent Celestia, and meet new friends & new enemies. Rated M for language and violence.
1. Welcome to Equestria

And here we go with Book 15. Now, the girls of Gamma find new friends, fight new foes, and learn a few things that might surprise them…

**THE FOLLOWING THINGS ARE THE PROPERTIES OF THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS; I DO NOT OWN THEM AND MAKE NO MONEY OFF OF THIS VENTURE**

_Mahō Shōjo Lyrical Nanoha _(Teana, various other characters) – 7Arcs

_Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni _(Shion, the "Keiichi Crew") – 07th Expansion and Studio Deen

_Shuffle! _(Kaede Fuyō, Rin, Asa & Ama, Sia & Nerine, Primula) – Navel and Asread

_Erika's New Perfume _(Marie, Sarah, Erika, Timmy, Veronica) – Deviant-Art artist Lance the Young

_Mai-chan's Daily Life _(Mai, Kizuna) – Waita Uziga

_Star Wars _(Ahsoka, Cody, Rex) – George Lucas, Lucasfilm

_Halo _(Forerunners, UNSC, Sangheili Alliance) – Bungie and 343 Industries

_StarCraft _(multiple characters, events, and devices) – Blizzard Entertainment

_Naruto _(jutsu, abilities) – Masashi Kishimoto

_Mahō Sensei Negima _(spells, abilities, characters) – Ken Akamatsu

_Kingdom Hearts _(Keyblades, Heartless, Nobodies, Unversed, Aqua, other characters and concepts) – Square-Enix

_Neon Genesis Evangelion_ (Mana Kirishima, other characters) – Studio Gainax

_Elfen Lied _(Kaede K., others) – Lynn Okamoto, Arms

_Red vs. Blue _(The Blood-Gulch Crew, the ex-Freelancers) – Rooster Teeth

_My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic _– Hasbro, Lauren Faust

A few characters and concepts are the creations of – and used with the permission of – DeviantArtist "Alex Warlorn"

PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE & CHARACTER PAGES

**-****_BOOK 15 START_****-**

**Grassy Field Just Outside Ponyville**

The quiet, peaceful sunny day was slightly disturbed by a blue magic rune-circle forming on the ground. A half-dome of solid magic, glowing bright, formed over it. After a few seconds, the dome and the rune disappeared, leaving seven figures lying on the grass. They began to stir.

"That was interesting…" Teana murmured, propping herself up on her 'arms'. She brought a hand up to move a lock of hair out of her eyes… and discovered she had no fingers. She looked at the hoof now being held up before her eyes.

"So this is the effect of Merlin's "Fit-In" spell…"

She experimented with her new appendage. Unlike the hooves of a traditional (Earth-native, non-sapient) horse, her transformed body's feet were mostly soft fleshy padding with thick skin, and the ones of her forelimbs could bend like… Well, it was as if she were to hold all four fingers together and move them as one, like a big wide "super-finger". There were no thumbs, though. She decided to look herself over, and was a bit surprised.

She'd become a pony. A cute little pony, almost cartoonish. Her body was coated in short, very soft fur the same shade of red as her Barrier Jacket, and her mane & tail were the red-orange of her human form's hair, also bearing her normal hair's straight, soft structure. Rather than the exaggerated muzzle of Terran equines, she had a small, short muzzle that (she assumed) gave her a much more humanlike face. She was pretty sure Terran horses' heads weren't as big, too; probably to accommodate a sapient brain. And her range of motion was considerably above that of a Terran horse; in fact, she was probably a bit more flexible than her human form. Her ears flicked, and she felt that Cross Mirage's dormant card form was tucked into her mane, behind her right ear.

"Hey, Tia."

Teana turned to look. The young mare sitting in front of her was a little bigger than she was. Her fur was a soft, pale yellowish-green, and her mane was held up in a ponytail. That distinctive style, combined with her bright green eyes, made her identity quickly apparent.

"Sarah?"

The other girl nodded with a grin. "At least we turned into something cute" she quipped. "Nice horn."

"Huh?" Teana looked up, eyes crossing slightly, and could faintly see something. She reached a hoof up, and sure enough there was a long, spiraling, blunt-tipped horn growing out of her forehead.

"So I'm a unicorn…"

"So is Mai" Sarah replied. "Ahsoka and Kaede are like me, whereas Shion and Marie…"

"Whoa~…" Marie could be heard. Teana looked over, spotting the deep-green-furred mare with down-spiked dark-brown mane & tail, Charon's inactive form fitted over her right forelimb, looking with awe at the pair of feathery appendages sprouting from her back. Marie gave a few flaps, drawing on instincts coded into her with the transformation, and she rose off the ground. Her expression changed to one of elated joy, and she gave a whoop as she began fluttering around.

"Fuck yes!" she cried. "I have _wings_!"

"Dear, you could already fly with your magic" Kaede (a tan-furred pony with orange mane & tail) said.

"So?-!" Marie replied. "It's the principle of the thing! I. Have. _Wings_!"

As Marie continued to fly around, indulging in her newfound ability, Teana checked out the rest of the team. Shion was a pegasus with dark-grey fur that contrasted sharply with her bright-green mane & tail; her Dark Templar arm-blade was fitted over her right forelimb, size & shape changed to fit her new limb. Mai was a unicorn with bluish-white fur and light-brown mane & tail with a big red bow atop her head, looking around. And Ahsoka was a base-form pony, her body covered in red fur with intricate white patterns here & there, and a blue-and-white-striped mane (with matching tail) that draped over her shoulders in two large masses, a third extending along the back of her head; her lightsabers were clipped to a belt around her midsection.

"This is gonna take some getting used to…" the teenage Jedi said.

"Having a quadruped body?" Sarah asked.

"Having _hair_" Ahsoka replied.

There was a sudden thud from something impacting a nearby tree.

"I'm okay" Marie called out.

Sarah chuckled at her sister's antics, and then her eyes caught sight of something. "Hey Tia, what's that on your flank?"

Teana looked at her back end, and noticed a symbol: a blue rifle silhouette and a red-orange sword silhouette crossed over a white triangle.

"I don't know…" she replied. "I like it, though. I think it fits me."

"Hey, I think we've all got them" Kaede said as the others congregated around.

"Mine's the symbol of a Nerazim initiate" Shion said, eyeing the Protoss-designed symbol on her flank, deep blue with gold outline.

"Mine's a… crosshairs?" Kaede said, staring at her flank.

"Well, you are the squad marksman" Teana replied.

"I'm pretty sure mine's an explosion" Marie said, looking at the red, orange, and yellow starburst-esque pattern. "Fitting; I am the team's demolitions and heavy-weapons specialist, after all…"

"Mine is a green cross over a red heart" Mai said.

"The UNSC's tissue regeneration fields and portable shield-regen fields both have a green glow to them when active," Teana replied, "so I guess that could reference your regenerative powers, and you are quite the kind sweetheart…"

"Mine's the symbol of a Jedi Knight" Ahsoka said, revealing the symbol of two lightsabers crossed over/within an intricately-designed, silver-ringed circle; she knew it was for Knight, because the Padawan simple was a single lightsaber pointed straight up, while the Master symbol was the straight-up blade along with the two crossed ones.

"And mine is… um…" Sarah looked at her mark with mild confusion. It was two ponies, a larger one and a smaller child one, the larger one holding the smaller one's hand… er, hoof.

"I'd assume it represents the fact that you're the realms' most awesome, motherly/nurturing, cool big sister, even to those who aren't your siblings by blood" Marie said.

Sarah smiled at the compliment and hugged her sister.

"So now what?" Kaede asked.

"I assume we go looking for the locals" Teana replied.

"I can sense a settlement nearby" Ahsoka said. "And… Whoa. Hey, check out what's on the side of that mountain over there."

The others looked, spotting a large and impressive city built onto the side of the tallest of a nearby mountain range, constructed around a huge, royal-looking castle.

"There's an enormous power level there" Ahsoka said. "Whoever it is, they're positively _bathed_ in the Light Side. There's another, slightly-smaller power that feels… darker, but still not at all evil."

"Like Hayate and Evangeline?" Marie asked.

"Yeah…"

"Heeeey~!"

The girls of Gamma Team turned to look upon hearing a girl's voice call out, and saw six ponies heading toward them – the sky-blue one was flying, the pink one was… bouncing, and the other four jogged/ran. A smaller figure was riding the purple-furred lead.

As they got close, Gamma got a good look at them. The lead one was a unicorn, pale-purple fur and a dark-purple mane with pink highlights, and a flank-mark of a six-pointed purple-pink star over a white six-pointed one, orbited by four smaller stars. On her back was a small, chubby purple dragon with a mohawk of green scales. The other unicorn had pristine white fur and an elegantly-curled purple mane & tail, with a flank-mark of three diamond-shaped gems. The airborne pegasus had a thin, wiry build (though with a bit of soft curves here & there), sky-blue fur and a wild, messy mane in six colors, like a rainbow, the 'cooler' colors hidden behind her neck while the 'hotter' colors stood out more; her flank-mark was a cloud emitting a three-toned lightning bolt.

The other pegasus had pale-yellow fur and long, delicate-looking light-pink mane & tail, and a flank-mark of three butterflies. The first base-form pony had light-pink fur and a hot-pink mane & tail that looked impossibly bushy and curly; her flank-mark was of three balloons, two blue and one yellow. Lastly, the other base-form pony had orange fur and straw-blonde mane & tail both held in ponytails, along with a flank-mark of three apples; she was wearing a Stetson hat.

The purple unicorn trotted up to Gamma Team, panting lightly from her run. "Hi there" she said. "Did any of you see what caused that burst of magic around here a little while ago? …Hmm, I don't think I've seen… you girls… a…round…" she trailed off as she sensed the magic around them. "I can't quite put my finger on that spell…"

"Oh, my" the white-furred unicorn said, looking at the group. "I know Transformation Magic when I sense it. But I've never felt it to such a complex and powerful degree. And something else…"

"It can't be…" the first unicorn's eyes widened. "…Long-range teleportation… No…" She gasped. "Dimensional transference magic? A-Are you girls…"

Teana sighed; so much for blending in. "Yeah" she replied. "We're… new around here, if you catch my meaning."

"Ohmigosh, ohmigosh, _ohmigosh_~!" the purple one was nerding out. "T-T-This is a First Contact scenario?-! You're from another universe?-!"

Teana nodded. "We are."

"Wait, so now we've got ponies from another realm?" the sky-blue pegasus asked.

"I don't think they're naturally ponies" the white unicorn replied. "There's a very powerful and complex Transformation Spell on all of them. It was probably applied to help them blend in a little."

The pink one gasped. "So they could be, like, snail aliens! Or lizards!"

"Actually, our base forms are mammalian" Kaede replied.

"We represent a coalition of various civilizations from across the realms, united against a common threat" Teana explained.

The purple one briefly looked like she was going to pass out, but then she, with great effort, gathered herself. "I s-see. …S-So, what brings you here to our world?"

"The 'common threat' in question may be targeting this world soon" Teana replied. "We're here to head it off, as well as potentially ask for assistance from… whatever large Light-type magical energy signature our scryers detected in this realm. …And it's always nice to make new friends."

"The energy signature you girls detected was probably Princess Celestia" the little dragon said. "She's one of the two rulers of our kingdom. She's benevolent, wise, millennia old, and _really_ powerful. We have a close connection with her?"

"What sort of connection?" Shion asked.

"We six wield a powerful set of magical artifacts called the Elements of Harmony" the orange one replied, a Southern twang to her voice. "It's a… long story."

"Spike, get ready to take a letter" the purple one said to the little dragon.

"Shouldn't we learn a bit more about these girls first?" he replied.

"Yeah, we don't even know each other's names yet" Sarah said.

"Oh, silly me" the purple one said. She cleared her throat. "My name is Twilight Sparkle. I'm Princess Celestia's personal student."

"I'm Applejack" the orange one said, tipping her hat.

"I am Rarity," the white unicorn introduced herself, tossing her mane over her shoulder, "up-and-coming fashion designer extraordinaire."

"I'm Rainbow Dash" the sky-blue pegasus said, striking a pose. "Fastest pegasus alive!"

"I'm Pinkie Pie!" the pink one jumped up. "Oooh! I've gotta start planning the 'Welcome Travelers!' party!"

"Pinkie loves throwing parties" Twilight explained. "She'll look for any excuse to. It's her special talent."

The yellow pegasus quivered. "I-I-I'm F-Fluttershy…" she mumbled.

"Pardon?"

"She's Fluttershy" Twilight replied.

Sarah took a step forward, smiling sweetly. "Hey there" she said softly. "You don't have to be so nervous. We're not gonna hurt you. …Let me guess: you're the type who's nervous to the point of terror when in crowds or amongst others you don't know, right?"

Fluttershy nodded.

"And even among your friends, you're the soft-spoken type who goes with the flow?"

"Mm-hm" she nodded.

"And when your friends need you, you'll stop at nothing to help you?"

"Definitely" Dash said.

"H-How'd you know so much about me?" Fluttershy asked.

Sarah smiled. "Because I have a little sister who's just like you – shy, nervous around new people, stutters when she's nervous, and impossibly brave when she has to be, and fiercely protective of her friends."

"So there's another Fluttershy out there, huh?" Applejack said.

"Actually, my little sis is only 11 years old, and she's small for her age so she's often mistake for being eight or nine."

Fluttershy's nurturing instincts stirred at the mere thought of a sweet, shy little filly.

"So who are you girls?" Spike asked.

"We're Gamma Team," Teana replied, "an elite special-ops team. I'm Teana Uchiha-Lanstar – Teana is my given name, Uchiha and Lanstar are my surnames."

"Surnames…" Twilight muttered. "Not many of our world's cultures follow that tradition."

"It's ubiquitous amongst pretty much all of the coalition's."

"And is it normal for individuals to have two?" Rarity asked.

"Not really. Most cultures' tracking of lineage is patriarchal, so a child inherits their father's surname. However, some use the mother's, or both, and there are special circumstances sometimes; in my case, my mother was a member of the proud, prestigious, and politically powerful Uchiha clan."

"Was?" Pinkie asked.

"My mother and father were murdered by a traitorous clan-excommunicate when I was four; the same traitor came back and murdered my big brother when I was 10."

Expressions of muted horror and pity crossed the local group's faces.

"Anyway," Teana moved on hastily, "this is Shion" she gestured to the dark-grey pegasus with bright-green hair. "She technically doesn't have a surname; long story, family drama."

"Describing the events surrounding the Sonozaki Clan as 'family drama' is a massive understatement" Shion said.

"This is Kaede, surname Fuyō…"

"Hello" she bowed.

"Ahsoka, surname Tano…"

"Hey."

"Marie & Sarah Swanson…"

"You!" "Wassup?"

"And Mai, surname Kitagawa."

"_Y-Yoroshiku onegaishimasu_. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

Fluttershy gasped. "_Nihongo wo hanasemasu ka_?"

Kaede, Mai, Teana, and Shion's eyes widened.

"_H-Hai_" Mai replied. "It's my native tongue. And Kaede's, and Shion's, and Teana was raised bilingual and it's one of hers."

"Fluttershy?" Pinkie turned to her friend. "I didn't know you spoke Neighponese!"

"Y-You never asked. My mother had a friend from Neighpon, s-so I picked up the language basics, and when she found out she helped me refine it."

"_Beszélsz magyarul_?" Teana asked.

She was met with blank stares.

"Okay, so none of you speak Hungarian."

"_¿Hablas español?_" Pinkie said.

"Other than that particular phrase, no; none of us speak Spanish" Marie replied.

"_Sprechen sie Deutsch?_"

A few of the girls looked at Rainbow Dash.

"What? So I've picked up a little Germane from some griffins in Flight School."

"_Tu parles Francais_?"

"Nope."

"Why am I not surprised Rarity knows French?" Dash muttered.

"_Mporeis na miliseis ellinika?_" Twilight said.

Silence.

"Okay, so nopony here speaks Greek."

"Why do _you_ know it?" Dash asked.

"A lot of old spellbooks are written in it."

Everyone looked at Applejack, all silent for several seconds.

"What?" the cowgirl said defensively. "So I'm the only one who only knows one language! You got a problem with that?"

"Well, Sarah and I are still learning Japanese" Marie said. "Neither of us are quite fluent with it yet."

"Okay, so, reverting back to Equestrian-" Twilight started.

"Or as we call it, English" Teana said.

"Or 'Basic'" Ahsoka added.

Twilight cleared her throat. "…Anyway… What do your Cutie Marks represent?"

All seven girls looked perplexed. "Our… what?" Teana said. "…You mean these marks on our back ends?"

Pinkie gasped. "You mean your people don't have Cutie Marks?"

"…Nnnno…" Teana looked rather confused. "This is pretty new for us…"

Twilight took a deep breath; Spike rolled his eyes as his surrogate mother entered Lecture Mode. "A Cutie Mark represents a pony's Special Talent. Ponies are born with blank flanks, but eventually every one discovers their Special Talent – their reason to be, the thing they're most good at, what makes them 'them', and when that happens, their Mark magically appears on their flanks. Cutie Marks rarely mean exactly what they appear to be. My special talent is magic. Applejack's is her role as a member of the Apply Family, a large, continent-spanning clan that runs a series of orchards. Fluttershy's is her innate ability to connect with animals. Pinkie's is bringing joy to others, usually through parties. Rarity's is bringing out the beauty in things, usually utilizing gems as decorations. And Rainbow's is… well, going really fast."

Dash let out a snort at hearing her awesomeness condensed into such a small and plain description.

"Right, well…" Teana said. "I _think_ mine has to do with the fact that I'm the leader of Gamma Team, and I'm pretty good at this whole 'special-ops team leader soldier kicking ass and saving people' thing. I'm a swordsman and a sniper, which shows in the sword and the rifle. Shion's Mark is a symbol of the order she's trained with. Kaede's is a crosshair because she's the team's designated marksman. Marie's is an explosion because she's the team demolitions & heavy-weapons specialist. Mai's is because she's a total sweetheart and she has regenerative powers-"

"Wait, what?-! She can regenerate, like that guy from the comics?" Rainbow Dash said.

"Anything short of total atomic disruption, Mai can come back from" Shion replied. "We still don't know how it works."

"Awesome~…"

Mai gave Dash a morose look. "My abilities were used in my former 'occupation' as a sex-torture slave."

All six ponies immediately went pale. Pinkie's mane & tail lost a good deal of their poofiness, while Rarity and Fluttershy almost passed out as their imaginations painted a very ugly picture.

"S-Sorry…" Dash said sheepishly, looking a bit ashamed of herself for unintentionally bringing it up.

"It's okay" Mai replied. "That part of my life is long gone now. I'm free."

Teana took a deep breath, giving the group several seconds to recover. "Ahsoka's Mark is the symbol of a Knight-rank of the Jedi Order, the monastic order she was born & raised with, a group of special-powered judiciaries, peacekeepers, negotiators, defenders, and warriors."

"And Sarah's Mark…" Marie chimed in "represents how she's nurturing, motherly, patient, caring, fun, and overall the awesomest Cool Big Sis type in the known multiverse!"

Sarah smiled, blushing lightly from the praise, as she hugged her sister again.

"Okay, so…" Teana said. "Shion and Marie can fly. But what can Mai & I do? And how about the three base-form ones?"

"The 'base-form ones' are called 'Earth Ponies'," Twilight replied. "Earth Ponies are the hardiest of the three extant subspecies of _Equus sapiens_; they have the highest stamina, are the most durable, have the longest lifespans – around 110 years –, heal the fastest, and on average have the most physical strength. Also, Earth Ponies have an instinctive magical connection with the world; they can sense groundquakes coming before they happen, and any crops tended by Earth Ponies will grow quicker, healthier, and more bountifully than crops grown by either of the other two.

"In addition to flight, pegasi also have other special abilities. They can walk on and otherwise interact with clouds, their bodies have more g-force tolerance than other ponies, and they have a form of tactile telekinesis. Unicorns, meanwhile, are the only pony subspecies capable of consciously using magic, casting spells."

The five non-unicorns of Gamma Team looked a bit upset at this. "But all seven of us are trained mages!" Marie said. "D-Does that mean that we can't use our magic in these forms?-!"

"Wait, you're _all_ magic-users?" Dash asked. "So your people are, like, natural mages like unicorns?"

"No, not everyone has magical aptitude" Teana replied. "But a good amount of us do. With proper training, one can learn to access their magic. All seven of us have a repertoire of combat spells. Marie and I are the team's dedicated mages, though, with the widest range of magical abilities."

"So, nearly all of your spells are… combat-oriented?" Rarity asked.

"More or less."

There was a flare of magical energy which caught the locals by surprise.

"Alright!" Marie said, a purple Midchildan magic rune-circle beneath her feet/hooves. "I can still access my magic!"

The locals' jaws dropped a little. A _pegasus_ using _magic_?-! And then the other six called up their magical power, and jaws dropped further.

"Unreal…" Applejack muttered, wide-eyed.

As the seven girls of Gamma let their power recede, Teana grinned. "See? We're all certified combat mages. And also, magic isn't the only power source we have…"

All seven of them then flared with a fundamentally different energy source.

"This is chakra, also known as _ki_" Teana explained. "Unlike magic, which is the manipulation of the mana that permeates all creation, chakra comes from within. It's a mixture of the spiritual energy contained in the Heart and soul, and the physical energy created & contained within every cell of the body."

They cut off, and then Ahsoka let out an aura of a third power. Clumps of rock began to slowly orbit around her.

"This is The Force" she said. "Like magic, it's an omnipresent energy woven into existence. Rumor has it that billions of years ago, before the universe's first sapient life evolved, magic and the Force were the same thing, only to split off and then diverge over the eons, evolving in separate directions. It's mainly telepathic and telekinetic in nature, though there is some elemental manipulation as well."

"I kinda wish I had a strong Force connection" Teana said. "It'd be nice to lift things with my mind."

"You can, actually" Rarity replied.

"Huh?"

"Well, telekinesis magic is one of _the_ fundamental abilities possessed by all unicorns." To demonstrate, her horn glowed with a blue magical aura, and a rock was gripped in the same aura, being levitated up. "Try it!"

Teana stared at another rock. She focused intently on it, trying hard to duplicate what she'd felt Rarity doing. After several various attempts, the rock was swathed in a red aura that accompanied the one enveloping Teana's horn, and the rock floated up at her command. She smiled big & wide.

"Frickin'. Awesome." she said.

"So what happens next?" Shion asked.

"I've been writing stuff down as you girls talked," Spike replied, holding a parchment & quill, "to send to the Princess. Now we just send it and wait."

"How long will it take for the letter to be mailed there and then for her reply?" Teana asked.

Spike and Twilight looked to each other and giggled. Spike then inhaled and blew a burst of green flame onto the rolled-up parchment, which transformed into a mass of flame that rapidly flew up & away, toward the capital.

"Oh" the redhead replied.

"So what are you girls' elemental affinities?" Teana asked Twilight and Rarity.

"Pardon?" Rarity asked.

"All magic-users have an elemental conversion affinity. Some have more than one. Mine are Fire and Wind, meaning I specialize in Fire-type and Wind-type spells and _jutsu_. Marie and Shion have Fire, Kaede has Fire, Lightning, and Earth, Ahsoka has Lightning, Sarah has Wind, and Mai has Lightning and Water."

"Both of you, try channeling your magic" Mai said. "Don't do anything with it, just bring it up."

Twilight and Rarity looked to each other, and then both of them surged with magical power.

"Hmm…" Teana stared at Twilight, sensing her energies. "Oh, yeah. Definitely Fire."

"So let's check you out…" Kaede said to Rarity. "…Earth, I believe."

"What?" Rarity cut her magic off, looking a bit upset. "Y-You mean my affinity is _dirt_?"

Kaede scowled. "Hey, Earth is one of the most versatile of affinities. You can manipulate soil, mud, stone, sand, gemstones, and even sufficiently-impure metal. You can turn the very ground beneath an enemy's feet against them. And it's the least energy-intensive of the affinities. You can do a _lot_ with Earth-style techniques. I can teach you, if you want."

Suddenly, Spike began coughing, and then he spat out a burst of flame that materialized into a rolled-up scroll. Twilight telekinetically grabbed and unrolled it, reading it.

"Princess Celestia says she and Princess Luna both wish to meet you girls as soon as possible."

"How do we get there?" Teana asked. "By train? On foot?"

"Actually, it says here that she's going to-"

Suddenly, everyone vanished in bursts of golden light.

**-****_SCENE BREAK_****-**

**Canterlot Castle – Throne Room**

In a flash of golden light, 13 ponies and a young dragon appeared.

"-teleport us." Twilight looked around as she realized she was no longer in the field outside her new hometown. "Well, that was fast."

"I've had plenty of practice, Twilight" replied a woman's regal voice.

The girls of Gamma turned around, and caught sight of a tall white alicorn with multi-colored mane & tail that wavered in the air, the Cutie Mark of a sun on her flanks. Her aura was overpowering, bursting with Light, yet also radiating a comforting calmness and warmth, like the rays of the Sun on a cool winter day. Standing next to and behind her was a somewhat-smaller alicorn with deep-blue fur and a mane & tail that somehow seemed to be made of the night sky. Her aura was darker, but not evil or tainted; it was like shade on a hot summer day, or the cool, calm darkness of bedtime. She kept her expression carefully neutral.

Celestia stepped forward. The bearers of the Elements bowed before her, while Gamma Team stood ramrod-straight, chins held high, standing at attention in a line.

"At ease, travelers" Celestia said to the girls.

The seven girls relaxed, though not completely. "What did you wish to discuss with us, Your Majesty?" Teana asked.

"A few hours ago, Luna and I were in telepathic communion with Fleet-Admiral Hood, Master Yen-Sid, and Hayate Yagami. They explained everything to the two of us."

"So wait" Rainbow Dash said. "You knew they were coming?"

"As of a few hours ago, yes. We've been waiting for them to show up."

"They mentioned something had its sights set on our world, possibly" Twilight said.

"Yes" Luna replied. "A Greater Daemon, older and more powerful than Celestia & I combined, with a horde of dark creatures at his command."

"We will help however we can" Celestia said. "For now, you girls should get settled in. Twilight, could you teach them whatever they may need to know – geography, basic history, terms, what-have-you?"

"Yes, Princess."

Over the next half-hour, things were ironed out and explained; history, nations, the Harmony Elements, and (with Luna's consent) the true tale of Nightmare Moon. Living arrangements were decided: Teana would stay at Rarity's, Shion would be Dash's roommate, Kaede would stay with the Apply Family, Marie & Sarah would be at Fluttershy's, Mai would live for a while at Pinkie & the Cakes', and Ahsoka would stay at Twilight's.

Celestia teleported them all to Twilight's library/house, where Twilight quickly got to work on teaching them the fundamentals of this world. After everything was done, the Moon was high in the sky, and everyone departed to their respective dwellings.

As Teana lay on her back in the big, fancy guest bed in Rarity's home, she wondered what sort of surprises this world would bring.

**-****_CHAPTER END_****-**

Next Time: A plan, a revelation, and a visit or two.


	2. Can't Think of a Chapter Title

**PLEASE SEE CHAPTER ONE FOR DISCLAIMERS**

PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE & CHARACTER PAGES

**-**_**CHAPTER START**_**-**

**Ponyville**

**Next Day – 9:30 AM**

Teana sighed as she sat on the cushion in pony form, telekinetically lifting another bite of pancakes to her mouth. She'd recently gotten out of the shower, and Rarity had _insisted_ on brushing her mane, though the fashionista had reluctantly obeyed Teana's request to not style it; she preferred it hanging loose, "like Twilight's". She'd already confirmed via telepathy that the others were awake, and were settling in nicely; Mr. & Mrs. Cake seemed to like Mai because of her politeness and her cooking skills (and Mrs. Cake thought she looked so cute with that bow in her mane), Dash had taken Shion on an _ad hoc_ Cloud-Bucking tutorial course, and Twilight & Ahsoka had apparently indulged in a brief telekinetic game of Spikeball… until the little dragon woke up mid-toss and was a mite pissed off about it.

Having finished her breakfast, Rarity chattered on as she worked on Teana's hair/mane, telling the girl about her little sister Sweetie Belle and her "Crusader" friends. Apparently, unicorn children weren't born with the conscious ability to use magic; like human babies and swimming, they had the ability instinctively in infancy but then lost it, and had to re-learn how to do it consciously later on in life. And pegasus foals were the same with flying, according to Rarity; just as Sweetie Belle couldn't yet use magic, her pegasus friend Scootaloo couldn't fly yet, mostly because her wings hadn't quite grown big enough yet.

The front-door chime was heard, along with the sound of little feet/hooves walking along.

"Rarity?" a little girl's voice called out.

"In here, Sweetie!" Rarity shouted as she finished getting the last little tangle out of her new friend's mane.

Teana saw as a little white unicorn filly with pastel pink-&-purple mane walked in. The little girl's bright green eyes saw Teana, and she gasped. She ran over, looking very excited.

"Is it true?" she asked. "Rainbow Dash told Scootaloo told us that you and your friends are heroines from another universe!"

Teana and Rarity looked at each other, and the redhead sighed. "Well, that particular cat's out of the bag."

Sweetie Belle's eyes lit up. "Oh my gosh, it's _true_?-!"

"How many other ponies know?" Teana asked.

"Uh… I think just me, the other two Crusaders, Apple Bloom's big brother, and Mr. & Mrs. Cake… so far" Sweetie Belle replied. The door-chime was heard.

"Hey, Tia" Kaede said as she, Applejack, and Apple Bloom walked in. "You too, huh?"

"Yep. Are the others coming?"

The door-chime was heard again, and the group already present, noticing the room they were in was feeling a little crowded, moved out into the main room, to find the rest of the gang, with Scootaloo in tow.

"Okay, so everyone's here" Teana said. "Any idea on what to do now?"

"How about we get to know each other better?" Fluttershy suggested. "Swap stories? …I-I mean, if that's okay with everyone…"

"You girls go first" Shion said to the Element-Bearers. "Our story's a lot longer, anyway."

"Well," Twilight began, "it started when I was in Canterlot, a few days before the Summer Sun Celebration…"

And so the Local Group told of Twilight's being assigned to Ponyville, the unsealing of Nightmare Moon, the forging of powerful bonds, and the purification of Luna. Applejack ashamedly confessed her attempt to harvest an entire orchard by herself, and the sleep deprivation that ensued. The arrival of Gilda, the incident with Trixie (and how the two little idiots Snips & Snails took a showman's obvious tall tales at face value, resulting in them luring an angry Star Bear into town; a lot of ponies were still giving them grief about it, especially that one stallion who had a bite taken out of his roof), Twilight's First Sleepover, the incident with Zecora and the Poison Joke (Teana: "Okay, the TSAB's botanists are gonna go _nuts_ when they find out about that plant"), the brief but devastating Parasprite infestation, and the recent (six days ago) founding of the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

"So we came here to blend in and seem normal," Ahsoka said, "and yet we're grouped with the six locals who have lives that are the farthest thing from dull and normal that one can get?"

"Yep" Applejack replied. "That's about the size of it."

Any further discussions were halted as a blue magical rune-circle appeared on the floor, across the room from the group. A bright half-dome of bluish-white light formed over it. Everyone present shielded their eyes as the half-dome dissipated with a flash. As their eyes were still closed, they heard the startled "Eeep!" and then the sound of something moving very fast. When they opened their eyes, there was nobody there.

Sarah smiled. "I recognize that squeal…"

She looked around for a few seconds, and then spotted that the floor-reaching tablecloth of one of the work tables was trembling. She slowly walked over to it, bending down. She closed her eyes and extended her senses, and smiled as she recognized the magical energy signature. She poked her head in under the sheet.

"Hey, kiddo."

The figure – a unicorn filly about the size of the Crusaders, with green eyes, turquoise fur, and a short black mane & tail, wearing a long dark-green skirt on her hips – squeaked and backed away.

"I-I-I'm sorry!" the little thing squealed. "I'm n-n-not used to n-new people or c-crowds, and…" She trailed off as she got a good look at the young mare before her, and her eyes widened as she noticed the bright-green eyes and ponytailed blonde mane. "S-Sarah?" she asked.

"Yeah, Erika, it's me. We're all here."

"…Y-You're a…"

"Take a look at yourself, baby sis."

Erika did so, and gasped with surprise as she discovered what she'd been turned into. She was, at the least, grateful that she had been materialized with a skirt to hide her little problem. She looked back at Sarah.

"S-So we're ponies here?"

"Yep. You're a unicorn…" she reached out and tapped the horn growing from the little girl's head, "I'm an 'Earth Pony', and Marie's a pegasus. Tia and Mai are unicorns, Shion's a pegasus, and Kaede & Ahsoka are Earth Ponies."

"I see…"

"We've only been here a day, and we've already started settling in."

"A d-day? B-But it's only been 15 minutes over on the other side. …I g-guess that time dilation, displacement thing is true."

"We've met the local group of VIPs. They're with us all right now, most likely wondering who you are and why you bolted for cover. Why don't you come out and say hello?"

As this went on, the others watched the scene unfold, Sarah's back end sticking out from underneath the table as she spoke softly to whoever was down there.

"What's this about?" Dash asked. "Who's in there?"

"Most likely our little sister Erika" Marie replied. "She's really, _really_ shy around new people – like, Fluttershy shy."

Hearing this, Fluttershy slowly, quietly walked over toward the sisterly meeting.

"I c-c-can't go out there" Erika squeaked. "T-T-There's s-so many s-strangers! A-And I'm in this t-tiny little body; I f-feel even s-smaller and more h-helpless than I n-normally do with new people."

"They're all really nice, Erika" the motherly blonde replied. "You don't need to be afraid of them."

Erika was about to respond, when Fluttershy's head came in next to Sarah's. She squeaked and backed up.

'She's so cute~' Fluttershy thought. The gentle pegasus gave the girl a warm smile. "Hi, there" she said softly. "You're Erika, right? You don't have to be scared, sweetie. My friends are all very nice ponies… Well, Spike's a young dragon, but he's nice too."

"D-D-Dragon?"

"He's only 10 years old" Sarah replied. "He's small, only a little bigger than you."

"You can hide behind me or your sister if that makes you feel a little better" Fluttershy suggested.

Erika gulped, and then squeaked out "Okay."

The little unicorn filly slowly, cautiously walked toward the 'exit'. As Sarah and Fluttershy pulled out, she followed them, crawling out from under the table. Instantly she was aware of being the center of attention not only from six ponies who could only be the rest of Gamma, but also from five others Fluttershy's size, three fillies, and a little dragon. In this new environment, surrounded by so many new people looking at her, in this tiny body, Erika was quivering like a frightened Chihuahua.

Pinkie Pie giggled. "She _is_ cute" she said.

"Girls… and Spike… this is our little sister Erika."

"H-Hi" the filly in question squeaked out. She was already trying hard to keep her new tail from moving around, for fear that it might lift her skirt enough to reveal what she was wearing beneath it.

"Hey, there" Apple Bloom said as she took a few steps forward. "I'm Apple Bloom."

"I'm Scootaloo"

"And I'm Sweetie Belle!"

"We're the Cutie Mark Crusaders!"

Erika stared at the three girls with confusion. "…C-Cutie Mark?"

"Hey, kiddo" said a unicorn who – with her red-orange mane and crimson fur – could only be Teana. "I'm thinking I should use that Knowledge Transfer technique to let you know what you need to know 'bout this world."

"S-Sure."

Erika looked into Teana's eyes as her _Sharingan_ activated, and felt a brief pulse of power and mild pain as the information was 'copy-pasted' into her brain. She let out a little groan as, over the course of several seconds, the knowledge was assimilated.

"…I wonder if I have one…" she murmured, looking at her skirt-covered flank.

"Well, why don't you check an' see?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Yeah, let's see if you've got one!" Scootaloo added.

Erika's eyes went wide. "O-Oh, n-no we d-don't need to. L-L-Let's s-save that for later."

"How come?" Sweetie Belle asked, confused.

"I-I-I'll c-check it myself later, I s-swear. I-I'll even tell you w-what it is! W-W-We don't need to find out now!"

"…Are you hidin' somethin'?" Apple Bloom asked.

"No!" Erika replied, a bit too quickly and a bit too high-pitched to be believable. She shook her head frantically. "N-No, o-of course not!"

Unfortunately, it was at this point that it became clear that Rarity had a window open, as a fairly strong breeze blew in, blowing Erika's skirt up and forward… and revealing to everyone in the room the diaper she was wearing. The little filly let out a loud, sharp shriek, her face going bright red, and she flash-stepped to behind Sarah, shaking like a leaf, burying her face in her pony-form sister's back.

'They saw they saw they saw they saw _they all saw!-!_'

"…W-Why is she wearing a…" Twilight started.

Sarah sighed. "When she was six, Erika was in an accident. She suffered irreversible damage to the muscles that allow her to control… certain functions. So she has to wear diapers."

The girl in question was now quietly crying from mortification, refusing to open her eyes or pull away from her hiding spot.

"I s-shouldn't have come" she whimpered out. "S-Something like this w-was bound to happen. I c-can never keep it s-secret for long, a-and p-people always r-react like… I-I should… b-be going now. I k-know you all w-won't want me around w-when I'm so… abnormal. I'll j-just t-transfer out and-"

"Hey, whoa, sugarcube, y'all don't need to leave" Applejack interrupted. "It ain't a big deal."

"Yeah, we're not gonna say anything bad" Sweetie Belle added.

"It's something you can't help and have no control over" Scootaloo said.

"We ain't gonna look down on ya or stuff like that" Apple Bloom said.

The little filly sniffled, slowly opening her teary eyes, and seeing warm, understanding smiles looking back at her.

"Y-Y-You don't mind?" she squeaked out. "Y-You're all okay with m-my… condition?"

Everyone nodded.

"It's cool, kid" Rainbow Dash said. "Nothin' to get so worked up about."

"It adds +10 to your Cuteness score" Pinkie said.

"You see?" Fluttershy smiled at the girl. "I told you my friends were nice."

Slowly, a little smile formed on Erika's face. "T-Thank you."

'So cute~' was the group mental response.

"It's perfectly fine, dear" Twilight said as she walked up. "Hmm…" Her horn glowed, and then a circular spot of Erika's skirt became invisible, followed by what was worn beneath it, revealing her Cutie Mark.

"A half-note…" Rarity said. "So you have a music-related Special Talent."

Erika blushed as the spell wore off. "I l-like to sing…"

"Having heard all three of them at different times," Teana said, "I can say that all three of the sisters have _beautiful_ singing voices. It's, like, the Swanson Family Talent, I guess."

All three sisters blushed and smiled at this praise.

"So now I've got one more pony to add to the plan!" Pinkie said.

"P-Plan?" Erika asked.

"For the welcome party! We're holding it this evening at 7:00 at Sugarcube Corner!"

"Hmm… W-Well, I g-guess that'd be okay… as l-long as there aren't t-too many people… er, I mean ponies."

"Great!"

"How about a tour of the town?" Twilight suggested to the eight travelers. "We haven't really shown you girls too much of Ponyville yet. Applejack and I can take you on the tour."

"Can we take Erika on the tour?" Sweetie Belle asked.

Sarah looked to her little sis, who nodded after a few seconds' thought.

As the trio of fillies grinned and began drawing in breath, Rarity let out an "Uh-Oh".

"Rarity?" Twilight asked. "Why are you covering your e-"

"CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS TOUR GUIDES!-! _YAY!-!-!_"

Everyone else looked quite surprised, all of them covering or rubbing their ears. Those within a few feet of the girls had their hair blown back by the force.

"Holy…" Rainbow Dash said, shaking her head.

"Gah…" Spike winced as his ears rang a little. "What was _that_?-!"

"Wow" Teana was chuckling. "That was impressive!"

The three smiled innocently.

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**11:35 AM**

Four fillies moved through the town, three at an excited pace, and the fourth at a slower, more careful one. Erika was moving slowly and carefully, keeping her tail still and down, in order to keep her skirt from lifting up too much. She had quickly figured out unicorn-style telekinesis, and was using it at a low level to further try and keep the garment in place. The Crusaders noticed, but didn't say anything.

"An' this here's the schoolhouse!" Apple Bloom said, pointing to the building in question. "Miss Cheerilee works hard to teach us stuff here."

"She's really nice" Sweetie Belle said. "You'll like her if you meet her."

"Well, lookie here" said a snooty little voice. "Looks like the blanks have a new member."

"Of course," Scootaloo deadpanned, "not everything about school is pleasant."

Two new fillies made themselves known; the first had a light-pink coat with a pale-pink mane & tail with a thick white stripe through it, and a Cutie Mark of a tiara that matched the one atop her head, while the second had grey fur and a silver mane & tail, was wearing blue-framed glasses, and a cutie mark of a spoon with a heart in the handle.

Apple Bloom gave an annoyed sigh. "Erika, this is Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon – the school bullies."

"And for your information, Tiara," Scootaloo said to the girl, "Erika _has_ a Cutie Mark; she just can't walk around showin' it off because she has to wear that skirt for a medical reason. She's new in town, and we're showing her around."

"Really?" Silver Spoon said with some skepticism. "What's her Mark?"

"A half-note" Sweetie Belle replied. "Singing's her Special Talent."

"Hmmm…"

"Anyway, we'd _love_ to stay and chat," Apple Bloom cut in, "but we gotta hurry up and finish the tour. …Hey girls, do I have a Tour Guide Cutie Mark yet?"

The two looked at the little cowgirl's still-blank flank, and shook their heads.

"Darn."

"Hey, Silver, I got a joke" Diamond Tiara said. "What's yellow and bare?"

"W-Winnie the Pooh?" Erika replied.

A few seconds of silence gave way to a *snerk* from Silver Spoon, followed by the filly in question bursting into giggles. The Crusaders started chuckling, too. Diamond Tiara _tried_ to look upset at her friend for laughing, but it was hard to when _she_ was trying hard not to join in.

"Well played, new girl" Diamond said between suppressed giggles. "I walked right into that one."

"T-Thanks. …Uh, w-we'd better get going."

"Hey now, what's the hurry?" Diamond said as she sidled up to Erika with a grin. "Why don't you chill with us for a bit? Let us show you the _good_ stuff, not like what these three Blanks can offer."

"Uh, no thanks" Erika said with a slight scowl; she already didn't like this girl. "T-These three have been good to me s-so far."

"Aw, c'mon~. You don't need to hang out with _these_ three. Silvie and I can show you lots of stuff! Besides, they don't have Cutie Marks, but you and we do." Diamond's expression changed to a suspicious one. "You do have one, don't you?"

"Yes!" Erika squeaked out, backing away to avoid the hoof moving toward her skirt. "Yes, I have a Mark!"

"Yeah, we've seen it" Scootaloo joined in, realizing what was at risk of happening.

"It's a half-note, for singing! We saw it!" Sweetie Belle added.

"Hmph. Likely story. She's probably just another blank-flank trying to hide it with that skirt!"

Diamond Tiara advanced towards Erika, who nervously stepped back. Unfortunately, she failed to notice the rock in her path until she backed into and tripped over it, falling over backwards onto her butt, leaving what was beneath her skirt visible to the two bullies. She squealed and covered herself, getting into a forward seated position.

Diamond and Silver were speechless for a few seconds. "Uh…" Diamond started.

Erika looked at her with tears in her angry eyes. "Go ahead!" she squeaked. "M-Make fun of me j-just like everyone else does! Ever s-since the accident, when I st-started havin' to wear 'em, e-everyone at my school is a-always bugging me about it! I k-know you want to; j-just get it over with already!"

"Hey, whoa, whoa" Diamond Tiara interrupted. "…You're saying you _have_ to wear them? Like, medically obligated?"

Erika whimpered and nodded her head.

"Well, I'm not gonna make fun of you for _that_."

Silver and Erika looked at Diamond with surprise… while the Crusaders looked at her like she'd just grown a second head.

"What?" Diamond said defensively. "If she has to wear 'em because of damage to her body from an accident, and it's, like, circumstances she has no control over, I can't make fun of her for that! I mean, it'd be different if she, like, never got potty-trained or was being punished by being made to wear them, but if it's due to injury an' stuff?"

"I'd have figured you'd look for any excuse to make fun of anyone" Scootaloo said.

Diamond Tiara glared at her. "I'm a bitch, but I'm not a monster. Contrary to what some ponies believe, I _do_ have lines I won't cross. Like… Say you never learn to fly because you never put effort into it, or you can't get the trick to it. That's something I'd tease you about. But if you were unable to fly because of, like, a congenital defect, or you lose a wing in an accident, I wouldn't make fun of you. It's… kinda like that."

Behind Diamond's back, Silver Spoon was looking at her friend with a mixture of surprise and pride.

She walked over to Erika and helped her up. "Um… Sorry 'bout that" she said sheepishly.

"It's okay" the other filly said softly.

Then Erika looked at the two, sighed, hiked her skirt up, and moved the side of her undergarment out & back, letting them get a from-an-angle view of her half-note Cutie Mark.

"So you weren't lying about that part. …You sure you wanna hang out with these blanks, even though you've got your Mark?"

Erika nodded as she put her skirt back down. "Y-Yes. They've been n-nice to me, a-and my big sisters are f-friends with theirs."

"Okay…" Diamond Tiara looked a bit uncertain. "Um… This is gonna sound _really_ weird comin' from me, but… If anyone gives you grief over having to wear those, come tell me."

"Only if we don't get to and pound them first" Scootaloo said.

"O-Okay. Thanks, I…"

Erika trailed off, her cheeks turning pink.

"I, uh… n-need to go find one of m-my sisters…"

"Why, what's…" Silver started, before realization set in. "Oh. Um… Want an escort?"

"N-No, thanks. I've… got the Crusaders for that. T-Thanks for the offer, though."

The four fillies then departed (Erika walking a little funny), heading in search of the elder Swanson sisters. As she watched them leave, Diamond Tiara turned to her friend.

"Should we go eat?" she asked.

"Um… You go on ahead, DT" Silver Spoon replied. "I've got something I need to take care of."

Diamond shrugged and then walked off. Silver took a deep breath.

'Will this really work?' She thought. '…I guess it's worth a shot.'

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Carousal Boutique – Back Room**

**13 Minutes Later**

Sarah stood over her little sister, who lay on her back, skirt off. The blonde looked at her current body's hooves.

"Huh…" she said. "Um…"

"H-How about we both shift to our real forms for this," Erika suggested, "a-and then return to our p-pony forms after?"

The elder grinned, and her body became a shifting mass of magical light that took the shape of her real, human form, and then faded to reveal her base state; Erika followed suit. "Good thinking, kiddo."

A few minutes later, the two sisters exited the room, their bodies still sparkling faintly with magic after transforming back to their pony forms. As Erika headed out front, Sarah heard Marie's voice. The other girl was singing. She followed the sound, finding her sis by her lonesome, moving back & forth a bit as she covered a Michael Jackson song. However…

"_Keep it up, we're the porn stars, don't stop 'til you get enough! Keep it up, we're the-_"

Marie was interrupted by Sarah's loud laughter. She turned to her sister, currently holding her stomach as she laughed her head off. "What?" she asked.

"Th…" Sarah tried to talk, but she couldn't stop giggling. "T-That's not how it goes!" she giggled out. "It's 'keep on with the force', then 'don't' repeated twice with the second leading to 'stop', and-" she dissolved into inarticulate giggles again.

"Oh" Marie blushed. "I-I coulda sworn…"

Meanwhile, Erika walked out into the living room, finding the Crusaders waiting for her.

"Better?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Y-Yeah" the filly blushed and smiled. "I'm good. L-Let's keep going."

As the quartet exited the boutique, however, they found someone waiting for them outside: Silver Spoon… with no Diamond Tiara in sight.

"Uh… hi" she said. "I need to talk to you girls."

"What about?" Scootaloo asked with a suspicious tone, eyeing the girl.

Silver Spoon took a deep breath. "Diamond Tiara wasn't always so mean" she said. "When we were really little, she was nice, and kind. But… When she & I were five years old, something happened to her mother. I won't say exactly what, since it's not my place to say. But… ever since then, Diamond's gotten meaner. I've stuck with her because, well, she's my only friend. I try my hardest to keep her from doing anything _too_ bad, but… I guess I'm so desperate to keep her as my friend, that I've let myself become sorta like her. …I'm sorry that I always play along whenever she starts teasing you three."

"Y'mean… You _don't_ have a problem with us?" Apple Bloom asked.

"I don't care one way or another if a pony has their Cutie Mark yet; I just act like I do to stay in DT's good graces. But… I've been getting tired of it – of standing by and listening to her be such a bully. I'd started to think that when her mother left the picture, she took all of Diamond's goodness with her."

She focused on Erika. "But today, I got to see that my pessimistic thought was incorrect. How she treated you showed me that she's _not_ too far gone, that there's still kindness and goodness inside her. And… I was wondering if you girls could help me bring more of it out, get her to let go of her anger and prejudices."

"Are you saying…?" Sweetie Belle said.

"Yes. …Girls, I want your help in turning Diamond Tiara good again."

The Crusaders looked to each other. "That's a pretty tall order" Apple Bloom said.

"I'll help" Erika said, stepping forward.

"I… guess it couldn't hurt to try" Sweetie Belle said.

"…Okay" Apple Bloom said, slightly reluctantly. "What's the worst that could happen?"

The four fillies then looked at Scootaloo.

"…Alright, alright, fine!" the orange pegasus snapped. "I'll help, so stop giving me that look!"

"Thank you" Silver Spoon smiled. "This'll mean a lot."

The Crusader Trio nodded, and then they looked at each other, and drew breath.

"Silver, quick! Cover your ears!" Erika said.

Used to obeying orders, Silver did so, with Erika following suit, just in time for…

"CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS BULLY REFORMERS!-! _YAY!-!-!_"

Silver was wide-eyed, leaning back after being pushed by the force of the shout, her glasses askew and her mane a bit messed up. Hesitantly, she uncovered her ears and looked at Erika, who nodded.

'What have I gotten myself into?' the silver filly thought.

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Twilight's House/Library**

**4:45 PM**

Everyone – the Element-bearers, Gamma Team, the Crusaders, and Erika – gathered in the main room, awaiting the message Celestia was going to give them. Teana had a magitech holoscreen up, waiting for Celestia to "pick up" on the other end.

Finally, the screen flickered with static, and a few seconds later stabilized to show Celestia's face.

"_An interesting utility spell_" she said. "_I'll have to learn it._"

"What is it that you wanted to tell us, Your Majesty?" Teana said.

Celestia's smile left her. "_Travelers… I've discovered something regarding extradimensional travel, and what happens to those who partake in it. You'll no doubt have noticed that, despite the fact that you've been realm-hopping for over a year, Lanstar, you haven't changed in height or body structure? …When somebody travels between the dimensions, their aging process is slowed dramatically… and permanently. Teana… You and your friends, your teammates, your allies, your fellow members of the coalition, now age at a rate of one year for every 300 years that pass._"

The Mane Six and the Crusaders reacted with shock… that paled in comparison to the shock that the individuals being addressed felt. Erika and Kaede almost fainted. Teana, now somewhat pale, looked at the Princess' projection.

"What?" she squeaked.

"_The change seems to vary depending on the species' lifespan. For instance, one year per 300 is the rate for your species and Ahsoka's, as well as for other races with similar lifespans to humans', like Equestrians. Longer-lived races, like Protoss and Elvaan, have their aging rates merely halved, so they age at one year per two._"

"S-So… E-Every person among us who's ever realm-hopped…" Shion said.

"_Yes. Every one… including your friends, family, and loved ones, provided they've made the jump from one Realm to another at any point._"

The group calmed down a little bit as the fear of vastly outliving their friends and lovers faded away.

"And all it takes to trigger it is a single inter-realm transition?" Teana asked.

"_Yes_"

"So if we ever want to leave Equestria and go elsewhere to help them…" Rainbow Dash said "_we'll_ get super-slowed aging, too?"

"_That's correct_."

"I… By Olivie, this is going to take some time to process…" Teana looked a bit frazzled, but she was doing her best to keep calm. "T-Thanks for informing us. …The others need to know about this."

"_I've already telepathically informed Master Yen-Sid and a few others; they'll spread the word._"

"I… W-We need to discuss things amongst ourselves for a bit. Do you mind, ma'am?"

"_Take however much time you need, dear._"

"Y-Yeah" Twilight said. "You girls go ahead and get yourselves sorted out."

"Thanks…"

The Traveler Group left, heading out of Twilight's house, and for the peaceful hillside where they'd first arrived. There, they sat and talked for a good long while, staying there long after sunset.

**-**_**CHAPTER END**_**-**

Yes, this was planned. From pretty much the very start, actually.


	3. Bonds

Note: a minor thing mentioned in this chapter will retcon a minor thing mentioned in Book 9.

ALSO: I planned on using clips of episodes to get authentic/original dialogue. BUT… Hasbro's got a stick up their ass and is pulling the vids everywhere I go, so I have to go off of my (shitty) memory, ad-libbing, tell-not-show, and just plain not showing scenes. The fic WILL suffer for it, and for that I am sorry.

**PLEASE SEE CHAPTER ONE FOR DISCLAIMERS**

PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE & CHARACTER PAGES

**-**_**CHAPTER START**_**-**

**Ponyville**

**Next Day – 8:45 AM**

Yesterday evening's shocking revelation was still weighing a bit on everyone's minds, but they were getting along fairly well with it, partly by not really thinking too much about it, and by focusing on the pros of it whenever they couldn't not think about it. Right now, everyone was at Twilight's house, enjoying a group breakfast. They had mostly made small talk so far.

"So girls" Spike said to Gamma Team and Erika as he swallowed a mouthful of pancake. "What exactly are your real bodies like? Like, what's your species built like?"

"Well," Teana said, "our species is called 'Human'. We're tailless bipeds. We have hands like Spike's, except with four non-thumb digits instead of three, and we have nails instead of claws. Our feet have five digits with nails, too, and like Spike's feet, human feet have pretty much no significant dexterity compared to our hands."

"Which mammal group are you part of?" Twilight asked. "Feline? Canine? Ursine? Ungulate?"

"Primate" Teana replied. "Humans are technically apes. We're most closely related to chimpanzees, though our most recent common ancestor was somewhere between five and seven million years ago, so there's been plenty of time to evolve in a different direction. For instance, human body hair is – with the exception of the head, armpits, pubic region, and – in males – face and chest – sparse, short, thin, and leaves the underlying flesh exposed."

"But…" Rarity realized something. "If humans have almost no body hair, and walk around on two legs, then… Oh, my…" her cheeks went a bit pink.

"Yeah, that's why, for humans, clothes are a necessity, not an optional thing like for you ponies."

"W-What's your diet?" Fluttershy asked.

"Omnivorous. Fruits & veggies, grains, dairy, eggs, candy & sweets, meat… Oh, but don't worry; we only eat the meat of animals that we know are non-sapient."

"Hey, I've noticed something" Marie said. "If we're all ponies, then how come we still have pretty much the same tooth structure? Where we're from, horses & ponies, besides being non-sapient, are herbivores."

"Equestrians are actually omnivorous" Twilight replied. "And we have the same 'no eating thinking beings' thing as you. …Though there aren't many beings on this world that are wholly non-sapient – mostly fish and other sea creatures." She made a dreamy smile. "Mmmm, fillet of halibut…"

"So we've got eight transformed humans-"

"Seven" Ahsoka interrupted. "I'm not human. I'm an entirely different species from an entirely different planet. I'm a Togrutan. …Though, my people's physical structure is somewhat similar to humans', due to convergent evolution…"

"Oh, um, Rarity?" Sarah spoke up. "I was wondering if you could make something for me."

"Of course, dear. What is it?"

The pony-form teen placed a hologram projector on the middle of the screen, which then projected a 3D image of her human form, wearing a tight green shirt under an open brown jacket, and blue jeans, a grin on her face and a gravity hammer gripped in one hand and resting over her shoulder.

"This is me" she said. "See that brown jacket? I love that thing; wear it everywhere. I kinda feel incomplete without it. D'ya think you could make one for my pony body?"

"Sure, if I can get your measurements first."

"So _that's_ what a human looks like…" Sweetie Belle said.

"A late-teenage female human who's unusually tall and 'developed' for her age, yes" Mai replied.

"Well, you weren't kidding about the flesh being clearly exposed" Rarity said.

"This is life-size, right?" Spike asked. "You're pretty tall, Sarah."

"The average height of an adult female human is about five feet, five inches" Shion said. "Sarah's five feet, _ten_ inches, around the average of an adult _male_ human. She's the tallest of us."

"What's with the lumps on the chest?" Scootaloo asked.

"Oh!" Pinkie said. "Lemme guess: humans are one of those 'able to mate all-year-round' species, so their females' mammary glands are always big, right?"

"…How'd you figure that out so quickly?" Marie asked.

"Eh, it was kind of obvious once I put the facts and observations together in my head."

"Yeah, among of-age human females, breasts are seen as sexual status symbol of a sort" Kaede said. "You can look up the details later."

"Yeah, I ain't lookin' at those right now" Rainbow Dash said, eyeing the hologram of Sarah's human form. "I'm looking at that awesome-looking hammer!"

"That is my personal favorite weapon" Sarah replied. "That's a gravity hammer. It has a retractable tungsten-carbide blade on the back of the head, and the head contains a gravitic drive that vastly increases the damage dealt by a blow, among other effects. I've customized mine to extend the battery life and make swapping the power core easier to the point where I can do it in the field in about 20 seconds, and I've also added a retractable spike into the bottom of the hilt."

Sarah deactivated the hologram, and she turned to Rarity. "So when should we do the measurements?"

"Hmm… This afternoon, at 3:15?"

"Sounds good!"

Just then, everyone saw as a glowing blue magical rune-circle appeared across the room.

"Someone else is transferring through…" Shion said.

With a flash of light, the new figure emerged. He had been briefed beforehand with the info sent back by the girls so far, so he wasn't too surprised to find himself in the form of a pony – in this case, a cute little pegasus colt, with a dull-red coat and a black mane & tail, and a Cutie Mark of a sketchpad (he did love to draw…).

Scootaloo wondered why her face felt a little hot all of a sudden.

The colt looked at the group in front of him, some of whom were trying to figure out who he was while others had figured it out but were keeping quiet. His eyes fell upon one of the fillies, a turquoise-furred unicorn with black hair and bright green eyes, wearing a skirt. It didn't take long for him to figure it out.

"Erika?" he asked.

As the girl recognized his voice, her eyes lit up, and with a happy squeal of "Timmy~!" she launched herself at him in a tackle-hug, knocking him over. As the two snuggle-hugged, the Mane Six looked on.

"Who's this cute lil' fella?" Applejack asked.

"That's Erika's boyfriend" Marie replied. "His name's Timmy. He's a real sweetheart, just like her. He's kinda shy, but nowhere near as much as she is. He's one of the few people who can get Erika to really open up and come out of her shell."

Fluttershy giggled. "They're adorable together."

Apple Bloom giggled as Timmy's new little wings fluttered in response to Erika kissing him.

"Awww~" was Sweetie Belle's opinion.

"Oh, I'm s-so glad you could make it, honey" Erika said, still happily clinging to her boyfriend.

"As if I'd let us be apart for any longer than necessary?" he replied with a smile, stroking her hair. "Laicixa, Mariko, Erio, and Caro were on a short assignment when I left, but they'll come over once they're done."

"Good. I d-don't like being apart from them any more than from you. Oh! C-Come and meet my new friends!"

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Same Day, 10:50 AM**

Mai and Marie walked down the street, talking as they headed towards Twilight's house/library.

"So…" Mai said. "I kinda got a bit of a headache trying to sort out the relationship web you and Teana are part of. More so when I try to get the order things happened in sorted out."

"It's not _that_ complicated" Marie replied. "Lemme break it down for ya. First, me & Kaede got together back in the Phoenix League's realm. Then, on Mundus Magicus, Teana found out that Kaede & I both had 'interest' in her, but we didn't do anything major. When we got to Midchilda, Subaru pounced on Teana the first chance she got, so they 'became one' on the first night back. Then, a couple days later, me & Teana hooked up. Then she rumbled with Takamachi and got stuck in the hospital from exhaustion & injuries for four days. Then when she got out, Kaede had her turn with her. Then, about a week or so later, Subaru pulled me, Kaede, and Teana together for four-person fun. …That girl's good with her hands…

"Meanwhile, around that time, Sarah and Ginga started playin' around. Then Ginga and Vice, who'd been flirting since before we got to Midchilda, got together and 'hooked up'. Then, about a week before Jail reared his ugly head, Ginga got Sarah and Vice to start doin' stuff together, with & without her along for the ride, though they didn't go 'all the way' yet. Then Sarah found out that Vice and Teana had the hots for each other, but before anything could come of that Scaglietti made his move, and we were too busy fighting to think about other stuff.

"Right when we got back to Midchilda after everything was sorted out, Nanoha & Fate invited Teana to join them for a night. Then, the next morning, Yūno showed up before Teana could leave, an' they did stuff but didn't go 'all the way'. Then, Sarah and Ginga pulled Teana aside and put her & Vice together; Vice ended up being Tia's first time with a boy, and they still 'do stuff' together fairly often. Then Ginga had _her_ fun with Teana. Then she, Sarah, and Vice got a hold of Teana all at once; sis had her fun with Tia _and _consummated with Vice. Then Teana was subjected to two Sister Tag Teams in a row *grin*. Then, thanks to Ginga and Nanoha, Teana got to have Yūno and Vice at the same time; *grin* according to Vice, they drove her _wild_, especially when they did it again, but with Fate and Ginga 'assisting'.

"So yeah, it isn't _too_ complicated."

"Uh…" Mai looked a bit cross-eyed. "R-Right…"

"Oh, and sometimes Hayate 'does stuff' with Nanoha, Fate, and/or Yūno. And Fate & Signum 'do stuff' sometimes, too. And after we got a hold of those Age-Changing Pills from _Ala Alba_'s realm, Vita sought Yūno out, and he & Hayate gave her a good time, I hear."

'I'll just stick with Shion, Kizuna, Satoshi, and occasionally two or more of them at the same time' Mai thought. 'Less confusing that way'

The two were interrupted by a rainbow-hued blur hurtling through the air in an arc, and crashing into Twilight's house. They ran for the scene, soon finding the Mane Six, Spike, and the rest of Gamma Team there amongst quite the mess (Erika & Timmy were hanging out with the Crusaders).

"What in the worlds happened here?" Marie asked.

"Rainbow Dash botched a trick" Shion replied.

"Rrgh, I almost had it!" Dash snapped. "Just a bit more speed! I _know_ I can do it! I've done it once before!"

"As a filly," Fluttershy replied, "a-and you didn't even know you'd done it."

"That's beside the point! If I can do it without even being aware of it, then I can do it consciously!"

"Actually, there's something we humans call the 'Centipede's Dilemma'" Teana replied. "It's the folk tale of a centipede who had no trouble walking until asked how he managed all those legs. He started thinking about the process and immediately became unable to do it anymore. So it is entirely possible that whatever you're trying to do, you can _only_ do it when you're not aware of trying to do it."

"But… But I need this trick! I need it for the Best Young Flyers competition tomorrow!"

"Then keep practicing and hope that you can get the hang of it in time. But it's probably gonna be an uphill battle the whole way."

27 hours later, Rainbow Dash would become the first pegasus to ever certifiably break the sound barrier in flight.

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Fluttershy's Cottage**

**Two Days Later – 9:30 PM**

"There we go" Fluttershy smiled as she finished up. "All done!"

"Heh… T-Thank you, Fluttershy" Erika replied, wriggling around on her back a little. Being changed as a pony was an interesting experience, and she still wasn't entirely sure _how_ Fluttershy had done it without fingers. She made to sit up and grab her skirt, only to be picked up into a hug by the motherly pegasus who'd just taken care of her. Shyly at first, she returned the hug.

"I d-didn't know you knew how to…"

"I've babysat plenty of times" Fluttershy replied. "I love kids."

Eventually, Fluttershy released the hug, and the little turquoise filly promptly reached out for her skirt. But then she stopped.

"Um…" she shuffled her hooves nervously. "D-Do you mind if I…"

Fluttershy quickly discerned what she was asking, and smiled. "Not at all. You can go about with it showing. I don't mind; in fact, I think it's pretty cute. And the Crusaders are asleep, so you don't have to worry about feeling uncomfortable around them."

"A-And Timmy, who's the only other one still awake, has seen me like this plenty of times."

"Are you sure you want to stay up for a while longer, dear?"

"Y-Yes. Being a part of the c-coalition has necessitated being awake for a l-little longer than I used to; Timmy & I usually go to bed around 11:00. Plus, I k-know that this world is peaceful, but… I'd still have peace of mind if w-we can be lookouts for a little while. And d-don't worry about staying up; Timmy c-can change me into my double-thick nighttime one right before bed."

"Well… Okay… But no later than 11:15; okay, little filly?"

"Y-Yes, ma'am"

"…Why didn't you have me change you into a nighttime one?"

"B-Because they're so thick that I can't really walk in them. …And I k-kinda _have_ to stay up late now, s-since one of the enchantments on the d-diapers the coalition provides is that they c-can't be removed until they've been… used…"

The two walked out of the side room, Erika rustling with each step, and found her little pegasus-form boyfriend waiting. He smiled.

"Decided to go without cover for a bit, eh?" he asked.

"Y-Yeah…" she blushed.

Fluttershy let out a sigh. "It's nice and quiet."

Then her eyes went wide.

"_Too_ quiet…"

Quick as a whip, she shot toward the back window, peering out at her chicken coop.

"Oh no, oh no, oh no…"

"What's wrong?" Timmy asked.

"One of my chickens escaped, and it looks like the Crusaders went after it! The tracks lead to…" she started shivering "T-The Everfree Forest…"

"The one f-filled with dangerous predators?" Erika asked.

Fluttershy nodded. Erika's expression became serious, and then her body began to glow. She shifted form, emerging in her real/human form wearing a dark-green top and dark-blue skirt, with an armored piece on her upper left arm, and before Fluttershy could get a good look at the young human she immediately slapped the circular gem mounted in the center of the arm-guard. A flash of light enveloped her, and when it faded she stood in elegant, angular armor that covered her from head to toe, mostly a dull pink but with some sky-blue, silver, and white. In her right hand was the Stroke of Midnight.

"I'll get them back" she said, her voice slightly muffled by her helmet.

"W-What is that?" Fluttershy asked.

"It's called a Keyblade" Timmy replied. "It's an ancient and powerful Light-type magical weapon. Erika's one of a small handful of coalition personnel capable of wielding one. What she's wearing is, for lack of a better title, called Keyblade Armor. It provides boosted physical & magical protection, sealing against hazardous environments, and a Heads-Up Display."

"I'll be able to pacify any creatures that attack me or them" Erika said. "I'll get them back safe."

Fluttershy took a deep breath. "I'm coming, too. I know the forest pretty well, and… well, those girls are my responsibility."

"I'll watch the house" Timmy said. "_If_ anything attacks, I can shift form and pull out the Sangheili Storm Rifle I have in subspace storage."

The two girls moved out, heading into the forest, following the trails. As they made their way into the deep, dark forest, Fluttershy stuck close to her well-armed young friend. They cautiously made their way down the trail, Erika keeping an eye on her HUD's motion tracker. As they neared a passage between two boulders, they saw a familiar silhouette; a smile formed on Fluttershy's face as she jogged up to the figure.

"Oh, Twilight! Thank goodness you're here! The girls have gone missing and I was hoping if maybe you had seen the-AAAAAH!-!-!"

Erika sprinted up to the two… and gasped as she saw that Twilight had been turned to stone.

"W-What could've done this? F-Fluttershy, are there any creatures native here t-that can petrify people?"

"Yes" Fluttershy replied with equal parts seriousness and fear. "There's no doubt about it: there's a cockatrice in the area."

Being fairly well-versed in mythology, Erika gasped lightly. 'Petrifying gaze, like Medusa; body of a snake with the head and feet of a rooster… If I have to fight it, I'll have to cut out the visual feed of my HUD, and rely on sound, senses, and motion tracker…'

"We need to keep moving, and find the girls _before _it finds them!"

Fluttershy then took off, and Erika had to channel a little chakra into her legs to keep up. Up ahead, they heard a trio of terrified screams, and picked up the pace. Seconds later, they heard a trio of high-pitched screams. From up ahead came the Crusaders, running like Hell itself was after them. Hot on their heels was… Erika almost laughed; it was much tinier and more cartoonish than the cockatrices in the books she'd read. It was almost cute… but the beak full of sharp teeth, the glowing red eyes, and the fact that the Crusaders were terrified all hinted that it was more dangerous than it appeared.

"Girls!" Fluttershy commanded. "Behind me! _Now_!"

Erika then watched in astonishment as Fluttershy literally scolded the cockatrice into submission, forcing it to release Twilight (and Gertrude the Hen, and Fluttershy's legs) from the petrification spell, and then turn tail & run. The Crusaders all gathered around Fluttershy, excitedly chattering about how awesome she was.

"Hey, who's this?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Oh, this is Erika's real form… well, covered top-to-bottom in armor, that is."

"H-Hey, girls. We didn't know what we'd run into coming to get you, so… I t-thought it best to be prepared for anything."

"What's that cool-lookin' sword?" Scootaloo asked.

"This is a Keyblade, an ancient magical weapon of great power and versatile use. I'm one of nine m-members of the coalition capable of wielding one."

"Let's head back home" Fluttershy said. "It's getting late."

The quintet headed home, and the now-exhausted Crusaders were quickly out cold within a minute of crawling into bed. Erika returned to her pony form, until around 11:10 when she & Timmy went to bed (in their human forms, in the second guest room).

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Sugarcube Corner**

**Next Day – 7:30 PM**

"You sure about this, Pinkie?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Of course I'm sure!" Pinkie replied. "You're always fending for yourself, and fixing your own cheap & easy meals, and sleeping alone in a big, empty house. Don't you think it'd be nice, just for one night, to have somepony else cook for you, and to know you're not the only one in the house when you sleep?"

"I…" Dash looked a bit uncertain and bashful. "I guess it couldn't hurt. But the Cakes-"

"-are looking forward to having you over for the night" Pinkie interrupted. "I brought this idea up with them first, and they're both A-OK with it. Come on, Dashie! Relax a little!"

Pinkie happily trotted through the front door of her workplace/home, with Dash nervously following behind. She didn't understand why she felt this way; she came here all the time, and she knew the Cakes well enough. So why…

"Welcome home, Pinkie!" Mr. Cake said. "And hello, Rainbow Dash! Dinner should be ready in about 10 minutes!"

Dash had to admit, dinner was really good. Eating in the presence of a family gave her a funny feeling in her chest, the warmth of the welcoming atmosphere getting to her. It was mostly just small talk; Mr. & Mrs. Cake asking her little things about herself, or listening as Pinkie described some of their 'adventures'. As she slowed her eating pace, looking around, she caught sight of Mrs. Cake looking at her with mild concern.

"Are you all right, dear?" she asked.

"Huh?" Rainbow Dash asked, unaware of the tear making its way down her cheek, until Mrs. Cake reached a hoof out and wiped it away.

The blue pegasus blushed as her eyes widened with shock. "I… W-Was I… I didn't know I was…"

"Dash…" Pinkie said softly.

"I… I guess I'm not used to being part of a family, even somepony else's…"

"What's wrong with your family?" Mr. Cake asked.

"My dad…" Dash sighed "flew the coop before I was born. My mother, Firefly, was… one of the coolest ponies to ever live – the Cobalt Storm and the Tamer of Lightning, they called her. When I was five years old, she was called out to assist in stopping Hurricane Epona. She… They never found a body, but she was never seen again. She's listed as 'Missing – Presumed Dead'. And with the intensity of that storm…"

"I remember" Mr. Cake said. "Epona was the strongest hurricane Equestria had seen in over 400 years."

"Right… I deliberately slipped through the cracks, avoided Foal Protective Services, because I didn't want to end up being hauled off to an orphanage… and eventually made to call some other mare 'mom'; that'd be, like, disrespecting my mother's memory or something. And I'm 18 now, so they can't take me anymore. I've done pretty well for myself, all things considered, but… I miss her…"

Dash then found herself being hugged tight by Pinkie, with Mrs. Cake joining in soon after, and she felt Mr. Cake's hoof atop her head. A small, tearful smile formed on her face.

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Twilight's House/Library**

**Next Day – 3:00 PM**

Twilight Sparkle poured over the book in front of her, hyper-focused on the task at hand. So focused was she, that it took Spike three increasingly-loud calls of her name before she heard him.

"Twilight! There's someone at the door for you!"

"Send them in!" she hollered back, still not taking her eyes off the book. She heard the door open & close, and could hear the hoofsteps walking towards her.

"Welcome to Ponyville Library" she said without taking her eyes off the book. "Please enjoy our wide selection of books. If you need any help, the reference sheet is posted on the wall near the stairs."

"I'd rather spend time with you, Twilight" a mare's voice replied. Twilight's eyes went open wide as she recognized it.

"It can't be…" she muttered, a bit of hope in her voice.

"Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake…"

"C-Clap your hooves… and… do a little shake…" Twilight finished, slowly turning around.

"Hi!" the pink-furred alicorn greeted with a big smile.

A huge grin, full of childish glee, formed on Twilight's face, and she squealed girlishly as she hugged her visitor.

"Cadence!"

Cadence chuckled as she hugged her old friend. "I'm glad to see you too, Twilight. Four years is too long to go without hanging out with you."

"H-How was Zebrafica?" Twilight asked.

Cadence sighed. "That's a big reason why my diplomatic world tour took so long. I had to keep the Zebra Tribe Alliance and the Wildebeest Republic from going to war with each other over resources. And there was a third faction behind the scenes, mostly hyena and vulture extremists, trying to _instigate_ armed conflict, which made my job harder. But we did it. The two factions have agreed to an indefinite armistice, and the third faction was exposed and dealt with. Thankfully, the lions agreed to mediate and to keep an eye on the two sides, make sure they don't break their agreement; the lions' king is wise and patient, so the area looks to be in good hooves… er, paws.

"I actually got back about a week ago, but I've just been so busy at the capital. I'm sorry I didn't come to visit sooner."

"It's okay; you're here now, and that's what matters. Oh, I can't wait for you to meet my friends!"

Cadence's smile grew; Twilight had always been a loner, so finding out from Celestia that the girl now had a circle of close friends…

"And Celestia told me all about our new friends from other realms…"

"Yeah… Isn't it amazing? I'm gonna go get stuff ready; then we'll go get my friends, and we can all have a picnic together!"

Cadence smiled warmly at her little friend's exuberance. As Twilight bustled around the house, Cadence found her thoughts drifting into the past, back to how she, Celestia, and Luna wound up on this world…

**-**_**FLASHBACK START**_**-**

**3,200 Years Ago**

Nobody had really seen the star-shattering conflict coming. It had all started when Celestia, desperate to end the hatred that plagued the ponies of that one little primitive world, broke one of the ultimate taboos, and sought the help of She Who Is End Of All Things. When they were sent to stop Celestia from reaching the planet, Cadence had, unable to bring herself to harm her sister, fled the battle. From what she'd heard, Luna had ended up switching sides to help Celestia, and Discord had jumped in on Celly's side as well. As an end result, Celestia made it through to the planet. Luna was punished by their Father by being reverted to an infant; he had likely planned to let her grow up a bit before then restoring her memories, having hopefully learned a lesson.

Then the tiny portions of the Void's Queen, the Windigos, fulfilled Celestia's command to put an end to the poisonous hatred… and they'd done it in a manner that left Celestia horrified, especially when they refused to stop. Faced with the magnitude of her mistake, Celestia had allowed herself to fully incarnate on the world so as to avoid detection from the family she now feared the response of; as an immortal, slow-aging filly no physically older than a five-year-old, she hid on the rapidly-freezing world, deaf and dumb to what was taking place out in the cosmos.

Then something unexpected and wonderful had happened: Celestia's gambit paid off in spades. The Fires of Friendship were forged, and the Windigos were destroyed.

But this did not go over well with the Entity of Heat-Death. She raged at the unexpected development, which not only proved her wrong, but destroyed those small portions of herself, causing her – Her! – pain. And she demanded disproportionate retribution: the extinction of the pony race.

Thus it was that Entropy began her campaign to eradicate these base creatures, only for the Alicorns to stand in her way. Her mate Havoc, and their children – Desire, Anarchy, Destruction, Strife, and Discord – followed in her wake; in return, Fauna and Ouranos, and their children, rose to fight them and defend the young world. And the Alicorn-Draconequus War began.

Cadence, unwilling to fight, had again dropped out, abandoning the war entirely, watching from a distance; her conviction to so strengthened when the Fallen One, the dark alicorn Morning Star, was freed from his imprisonment and promptly pledged his assistance to Entropy and Havoc, against his Parents and siblings. The battles raged throughout all planes of existence, crushing worlds and tearing stars asunder. The galaxy trembled in fear from the awesome and terrifying powers clashing.

Celestia, meanwhile, had awakened down on Equestria, and even down there she could feel the terrible violence that now plagued the stars, and she knew: the end result of her gambit had triggered war between her people and Entropy's. She was terrified of what her family would do to her in retaliation if they ever found her again; her actions had resulted in this devastating conflict. So she made a painful choice: to protect herself and her world, she would tap into every last bit of power she had, and use it to shield and separate Equestria from the Pantheon and their war.

And thus, The Veil was created – a multi-dimensional barrier that rendered Equestria and the surrounding space-time concealed and shielded from what was outside, from the other alicorns and from Entropy & Havoc's children. So powerful it would be, that only the Four Elders would be able to even vaguely sense what took place within it. And Celestia would be completely unable to sense what took place outside it.

But while The Veil was forming, Cadence made her return into the war… just long enough to grab the infant Luna, to protect her from the war's rage, and then make a mad rush inside the barrier, making it through just as it closed completely. She was unable to keep hold of the baby alicorn, so she did the next best thing: she sent the filly to Equestria, to Celestia. Celestia found the reverted babe, and knew what had happened. And she took it upon herself to raise her little sister.

Cadence, meanwhile, was unable to find Equestria. Instead, she wandered the realms and worlds within The Veil, doing what she could where she could. Separated from the outside, the noise of the War was gone, replaced by an eerie silence. So she did what she could: searched, and waited.

And one day, she found what she'd sought.

**-**_**FLASHBACK**_**-**

**Canterlot Castle**

**16 Years Ago**

Celestia sat alone on her throne, feeling a tad morose and lonesome as usual. It had been 984 years to the day since she'd had to banish the thing that her little sister had become. It still weighed heavily on her. It wouldn't be long before the seal would weaken enough for Nightmare Moon to break free; just a handful more years. The potential bearers of the Harmony Elements had not yet emerged, but she supposed that made sense; right now, they'd all still be toddlers.

Her musings were interrupted as one of her Royal Guards came running in. "Your Majesty!" he cried. "Y-You have a very important visitor, milady!"

The wizened mare quirked an eyebrow. "Important in what way, Guardman?"

"Another like you, ma'am – another alicorn."

Celestia's eyes went as wide as can be, fear creeping into her heart. Had one of her family found her? Had some of them survived The War, and come to punish her at last.

"S-Send them in" she said, trying not to let her terror show in her voice.

Several seconds later, she gasped as she saw not the baleful gaze of Justitia, or the bone-scythe of Mortis, but the figure of the one sibling who'd refused to stand against her. She felt shock and relief mixing together.

"Hello, Celly" Cadence said.

"…Guards, please leave us" Celestia ordered.

"Ma'am?" the Captain said. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. …I have not seen this sister of mine in over three millennia. We have a great deal of catching up to do."

"O-Of course, milady."

The guards filed out, the door shutting behind them. Cadence and Celestia walked up to each other, and then embraced.

"I'm sorry I didn't stand by you back then" Cadence said. "And I'm sorry it took so long to find you."

"H-How are you here?" Celestia asked.

"When you formed The Veil, it didn't form all at once. I slipped through just before it closed. I don't know any more about what happened in The War after that than you do." Cadence looked around. "…Where's Luna?"

Celestia's expression became sad and morose. "The Luna you knew is no more, sister. Father likely meant one of us to restore her memories upon her reaching a certain age. …That age is long past. Now, an attempt to give her the memories of her old self, when her new self's memories are so vast and well-rooted, would destroy her mind. The Luna of old is, essentially, dead."

"I… I see… Where is she now?"

Celestia sighed. "I'll have to start from the beginning. As the three tribes united, I did my best to raise Luna. When she was old enough, I… told her that we were the last of our kind; that the rest of our siblings had placed us on this world to protect us while they were all wiped out in a devastating war. …Soon, however, we discovered that we were not the only ones inside The Veil. Discord made it through as well, and around 2,600 years ago, he initiated a reign of chaos and suffering that lasted 1,300 years."

"By Mother…" Cadence swore with a whisper. "What happened to him?"

"Luna and I found and forged the Elements of Harmony – fragments of Mother's power. With them, we turned Discord to stone. He's presently the center decoration of the palace garden. After that, Luna and I were world-renowned as heroes, saviors. When the time came to place a new ruler to replace Discord, the ponies begged us to take the position. Eventually, we accepted. Discord's reign damaged this world in a few ways; most notably, this planet can no longer revolve under its own power. Instead, it must be given a portion of telekinetic magic to keep it spinning – a portion that only an alicorn can safely provide. Luna & I came to an agreement: I would give the planet what it needed to spin at sunrise, and she would provide the required energy of sunset.

"We came to be associated with day and night, respectively, and soon started to associate ourselves with it as well. …That's when the trouble started. Luna grew jealous and resentful that all the ponies frolicked in the day, but feared, shunned, and slept through 'her' night. I… I failed to see the warning signs until it was too late, when she fell victim to a corruptive entity and the Darkness of her own Heart. I… Cadence, I let our little sister become a monster – a daemon. Luna is no more; in her place is Nightmare Moon, who sought to plunge the world into eternal night."

Cadence looked horror-struck. "W-What happened?"

"984 years ago to this day, I… did what I had to do to protect my subjects. I used the Elements of Harmony on her, and sealed her inside this world's moon. Nowadays, the legend of Nightmare Moon is seen as a fairy tale used to make children behave. Scarcely anyone knows the awful truth. …In 16 years, exactly 1,000 years from that day, the seal will break, and she will be again loosed upon a world that has forgotten her. There is a prophecy that the Harmony Elements will find new bearers, and they _may_ be able to purify her, free her of the Corruption."

Cadence took a few deep breaths as she took it all in. Even here, safe from the War, her two lost siblings still found suffering and pain. Silently, she reached out and put a hoof on her sister's shoulder.

"I'm here now, sister" she said. "I'll stand by you when the time comes."

Celestia allowed herself a smile. "Thank you, Cadence. So… What will you do now?"

"Hmm…" Cadence thought. Then an idea came to her. Her form shifted, transforming into a younger body. "Maybe I could take up babysitting…"

**-**_**FLASHBACK END**_**-**

Cadence had spent the next several years being either a diplomat traveling the world, or Canterlot's most popular babysitter; the latter was how she'd met Twilight… and Shining Armor… When she'd returned a little while ago from Zebrafica, she'd been astonished to discover that lil' Twiley was one of the six Harmony-Element bearers, and that they had indeed succeeded in purifying Luna. Afterward, Celestia had introduced Luna to her other sister, with Cadence playing along with Celestia's story, telling Luna that, as far as she knew, they were the three last members of their people.

And not long after, something else had happened…

"Twilight?" Cadence said.

"Yes?" Twilight replied, having placed a picnic basket on the kitchen table.

"There's one thing I forgot to mention. You know how me and your big brother are… close, right?"

Twilight giggled as she recalled some of the lovey-dovey scenes she'd come across. "Oh, yeah."

"Well… A little while after we got back, he…" she blushed and smiled "asked me to marry him… and I said yes. We're getting married in five months."

Twilight gasped. "R-Really?-! …And that means that you're…"

"…going to be your sister-in-law."

Twilight squealed again and latched on in another hug.

"I was wondering…" Cadence continued. "Would you like to be my maid of honor, Twilight?"

The young mare made a happy-gasp and started nodding vigorously, saying/squealing "yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, YES!"

Cadence chuckled. "I'm glad to hear it. Now… Shall we go find your friends?"

"S-Sure! Oh, I can't wait to tell them everything!"

As the normally studious and calm mare flitted about like a happy little child, Cadence smiled.

**-**_**CHAPTER END**_**-**

Next Time: A snag in a plan, and a Big Damn Rescue; yes, there will be some fightin' action in this fic.


	4. Lost Soul

Okay, getting a lot of reviews from people who apparently haven't watched _MLP: FIM_. All I can say is that I'm sorry; if you haven't seen the show, not much of this Book will make sense. You _could_ skip it and wait for the next Book, _but_ there's gonna be plenty of events and plot threads introduced in this Book that _will_ effect later Books. So you should probably try watching the series online.

Oh wait, Hasbro's got a stick up their ass about removing episodes, so… Yeah, sorry non-Brony fans of my work, but I think you're pretty much fucked.

On a side note: the "plan gone awry" teased at the end of last chapter has been moved to next chapter. As for the Big Damn Rescue? Well, read on…

**PLEASE SEE CHAPTER ONE FOR DISCLAIMERS**

**The character of 'Checker Monarch' is a creation of and used with the permission of author 'Kendell'. **She _will_ make an appearance later in the fic, more than the simple mention she gets in this chapter.

PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE & CHARACTER PAGES

**-**_**CHAPTER START**_**-**

**Everfree Forest**

**Five Days Later – 8:45 PM**

"I still don't see why ya gotta go into the Everfree Forest at this time of night, Twi" Applejack said.

"There's two reasons, Applejack" Twilight replied. "One is that I need data on a flower that only blooms in a certain part of the forest after sunset. The other is that Zecora has mentioned reports of strange happenings lately – sounds and tracks from animals she's never heard out here before."

The two walked down the dark, dusty, overgrown dirt trail, their way guided by a Light spell from Twilight, a shining white light hovering over her horn. Both were on high alert, eyes and ears tuned for the slightest hint of danger. And after the incident with the Diamond Dogs two days ago, this included keeping an eye on the very ground beneath their feet.

"Hey, Twi" Applejack stopped, pointing at the ground. "Do those look like hoofprints to you?"

Twilight bent close to the ground, illuminating the tracks. "They _do_" she replied. "And they look fresh. Should we follow them?"

"…Eh, why not? It might lead us to whatever Zecora's been hearin'."

They followed the pony tracks a little ways down the trail, and then into a cluster of trees and bushes. A little ways in, they stopped as a bush up ahead rustled slightly.

"H-Hello?" Twilight called out. "Is anyone there?"

Silence was the response.

"Hello?"

"…Go away…" a girl's voice, small and weakened, replied from within or behind the bush.

"Who are ya?" Applejack asked. "What're you doin' out here? Do ya need help?"

"I said go away" the hidden mare replied. "Let me die in peace. Please…"

Twilight and Applejack exchanged worried looks, and then began carefully making their way closer to the bush.

"S-Stay back…" the voice said weakly. "Please leave me alone…"

They moved closer and peered behind the bush… and gasped with shock as they saw what was on the other side, lying against a tree. The mare let out a little groan and weakly raised a bone-thin limb up to shield her face from the light of Twilight's illumination spell. She was dangerously thin, her ribs and other bones showing. Her blue fur was dirty and dull, as were her silvery-blue mane & tail. Numerous wounds, only partially healed and some of them looking infected, marred her body. But what drew the girls' attention was the familiar Cutie Mark.

"Trixie…" Twilight breathed out in shock.

"Who is that?" Trixie murmured weakly, trying to see without uncovering her eyes. Twilight dimmed her illumination spell, allowing a single bloodshot eye to open and look at her. A frown formed on Trixie's face.

"Sparkle…" she murmured. "Come to see me off, have you?"

"What the Hell happened to you?" Applejack muttered.

"…Everything…" the girl replied. "Lost everything… Lost myself… I c-can't do magic anymore… I can't find food… I… I was never special… I should never have tried to deceive myself into thinking I was anything more than worthlessly average – a background pony. I…"

And Twilight & Applejack looked on in horror as the Mark on Trixie's flank slowly lost its color and faded away, only the tiniest bit of shading difference in her fur showing where it once was.

"I shouldn't have existed… I'm done… No more of this… It's so cold out… and I f-feel… s-so, so tired…"

Applejack cursed under her breath as the implications set in. "H-Hey! Hey! Come on, now!" She walked over, kneeling down and putting her face in front of Trixie's. "Don't you dare go to sleep right now! Hey, c'mon gal, look at me! Look! Hey! Yoo-hoo! Keep those eyes open, girl! Focus on me!" She turned to Twilight. "Help me, Twi!"

"Huh? H-How?"

"Help me get her up on my back. We need to get her back into town and to the hospital pronto, or she ain't gonna make it!"

"R-Right" Twilight nodded, telekinetically lifting Trixie up (despairing over how light the girl felt) and draping her over Applejack's back. The farmgirl then tied her rope around herself & Trixie, and pulled it as tight as she could.

The two quickly hurried out through the foliage and back to the old path.

"I just hope we can make it in time" Twilight said.

"Why…?" Trixie weakly asked. "What I've done… Worthless…"

Applejack was about to reply, when she heard a loud hiss behind her. She and Twilight slowly turned around… and their eyes – and Trixie's – went wide with fear as they looked up… and up… and up.

"A-Applejack?"

"Y-Yeah, Twi?"

"Is this some… rarely-seen native creature of Everfree?"

"I do not think so."

It was huge, towering over them at around 10 feet. Its lower body was like that of a snake, and its upper half was clad in chitinous armor. Two long, muscular arms ended in four huge blade-spikes of bone. A bony head-crest extended above two glowing red eyes, which in turn sat above a huge mouth filled with large, needle-like fangs. It hissed again, and two extra mandibles extended out from the sides of its lower jaw. It reared up a little, bringing an arm high.

"Run like frak" Twilight said.

Applejack closely did so, with Twilight close behind. The beast's claws dug into the ground where they'd been standing, and it let out a hissing roar. As the two ran for their lives, they soon heard more screeches and growls, along with the sound of footfalls. Twilight changed to look back, and saw a pack of smaller creatures, about the size of the average stallion, chasing them, bounding after them on all fours; their eyes glowed red, and they had similar – albeit smaller – head-crests to the first creature. From their backs extended long, thin limbs that ended in tearing spikes.

"Run faster!" Twilight shouted.

The two ran as fast as they could, hearing the pursuing creatures slowly falling behind. However, they skidded to a halt as, up ahead, one of them burst out of the ground, screeching, claws bared to rip them apart… and was blasted from the side in midair. It fell to the ground next to them, twitching. They looked to their savior, finding a biped covered head-to-foot in red armor with orange accents, wielding a white and orange shotgun.

"Twi, AJ, you two alright?"

Twilight's eyes bugged out briefly at the familiar voice. "Teana?"

"Yeah, this is my real form."

"…Nice armor."

"Thanks. …Who's that?"

"Long story" Applejack replied. "But she ain't doin' so well. She's dyin' from starvation; we gotta get her to Ponyville Hospital ASAP! And now we got these… things chasin' us."

Teana walked over to the dead creature, and behind her visor she scowled. "So he's fielding these against us now…" she muttered.

"Pardon?"

"I've fought these creatures before. But it's been a while since I last saw them, and I've never seen them outside their home realm before. They're called the Zerg, and they're _extremely_ dangerous." She nudged the dead Zergling with her foot. "These little ones are pack hunters."

"Yeah, their pack was chasing us a minute ago" Twilight replied. "But I think we lost them."

On cue, around 20 more Zerglings burst out from the ground all around them.

"Or not."

Teana switched Cross Mirage to one pistol (loaded with .45-cal SAP-HE rounds) and one Longsword. "Stay out of their reach, girls. And strike to kill."

The first Zergling charged, and got a bullet between the eyes for its troubles, dropping dead. In response, the rest of the pack rushed in all at once. Teana waded in, pistol firing and sword swinging, blasting and slashing at anything in range. A Spartan-strength kick cracked a Zergling's skull, and another Zergling was decapitated by a swing of her energy blade. Twilight telekinetically picked a Zergling up and then threw it with all her might into another one.

Applejack spun and bucked a jumping Zergling in the chest, shattering its ribcage and sending it flying. Another Zergling hit Applejack with a tackle, knocking Trixie free; the half-dead unicorn weakly struggled to get up, survival instincts compelling her to try to flee these creatures. AJ rolled to her feet and stared the Zergling down. It charged at her, and at the last moment she sidestepped a claw-stab and lashed out with a kick that knocked the offending appendage clean off. The creature screeched in anger and went at her again, only for her to jump and land on top of it. With all her might, she stomped down with both rear legs on its neck, silencing it.

Suddenly, there was a piercing scream. The trio looked to see a Zergling pinning Trixie down. Twilight teleported over and telekinetically picked it up by the neck, and then slammed it into a nearby boulder a few times until it stopped moving. But Trixie was still screaming, fore-hooves frantically clutching at her face. Twilight got a good look at her… and went pale.

"By Celestia…" she muttered.

A large, jagged gash had been slashed along Trixie's right side. But much worse was the slash that went down across Trixie's right eye, which was squinted shut and bleeding profusely. Another Zergling charged at the two unicorns… only for a now-enraged Twilight to blast it with a conjured fireball; the creature screeched and writhed as it roasted.

"_BANZAAAAIIII!-!-!_"

A rainbow-hued blur swooped in from above, bulldozing through a half-dozen Zerglings. Seconds later, a telekinetically-launched barrage of jagged-sharp stones flew in, downing two more. The other four Element Bearers had arrived.

"What the hell are these things?-!" Rainbow Dash shouted as she came in for a landing beside Applejack.

"Teana called them Zerg!" Twilight replied. "She says she's fought them before, in another realm! But never mind them! Dash, I need you girls to go ahead back to Ponyville and warn the Hospital to be expecting-"

"Hey, I'm not gonna leave you guys like this!" the pegasus snapped. "Why would I abandon you to go talk to the docs? Give me three words why!"

In response, Twilight telekinetically pulled Dash close, and pointed: "_Trixie. Is. DYING!_"

Rainbow Dash and the others looked, and caught sight of the familiar boastful showmare… and then gasped with horror as they saw how emaciated was, and her horrific injuries. She was trembling and whimpering, beginning to go into shock from her wounds, and blood pooled beneath her. Rarity almost fainted, Pinkie's mane & tail lost much of their poofiness, but Fluttershy's expression hardened, becoming dead serious as she, ever the experienced veterinarian, entered Trauma Mode.

"Pinkie Pie, lift her head up so it's higher than her heart! Rarity, give me one of your blankets; we need to warm her up and get her secured to one of us! Twilight, get my medical supplies out of my saddlebag; we need to try and staunch the bleeding!"

"What about the Zerg?" Applejack asked as the Zergling horde pressed their attack again.

In response, Fluttershy walked toward the charging horde, eyes closed as she focused her will. And then, her eyes snapped open as she delivered the most powerful Stare she could muster.

Immediately the Zerglings felt the effect, stopping their charge and screeching in fear and anger. A few of them hissed/roared at her, taking steps forward, only to falter as she focused her baleful gaze on them.

"Whoa…" Dash murmured.

Suddenly, the ground beneath Fluttershy lurched, and she was thrown aside as something surface. Knocked out of her Stare, she looked up in petrified terror at the Hydralisk towering over her. It roared, raising a spiked claw… and a purple Super-Missile shot hit it in the face, blowing its head and upper torso apart. The headless body toppled over backward. Everyone looked in the direction the attack had streaked in from, and saw another full-armored figure, a massive cannon over her right arm.

"Marie!" Teana shouted. "Damn good timing!"

"I came as fast as I could, Boss" she replied, switching Charon to Plasma Beam mode.

More Hydralisks emerged from beneath the earth, as well as many more Zerglings.

"Girls!" Pinkie shouted. "Trixie's fading fast! By the time we've beaten these things, it'll probably be too late for her!"

Teana made ready to cut loose, but something beat her to the punch. As the swarm charged, a ball of glowing golden light formed in the middle of the path, between the Zerg and the girls. It faded to reveal Princess Celestia, eyes glowing with power. The Zerg screeched and roared, charging at her. The Hydralisks fired their high-velocity armor-piercing venom-tipped spikes at her, only for them to bounce off of her aura. Then, she attacked. She flapped her wings forward, and a wave of white fire raced out. Any Zerg hit by it was reduced to ash within seconds, while the plants & trees touched by the pure flames were left completely unharmed. Celestia fired a thin golden beam from her horn, and it engulfed and incinerated a Hydralisk. The long surviving Zerg, another Hydralisk, went down to a particle-beam shot from Mirage Sniper.

Celestia turned to the girls. "Are you girls alright?" she asked.

"We're fine, Princess" Fluttershy replied. "But Trixie isn't! She's losing a lot of blood and I think her body's starting to shut down from lack of food! We need to get her to a hospital _now_!"

Celestia, quickly realizing the gravity of the situation, nodded, as her horn lit up with a Teleport spell. In a flash, the entire group vanished, bound for Canterlot Grand Hospital, the finest and most advanced medical facility on the entire continent.

The staff there would have their work cut out for them.

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Canterlot Grand Hospital – South Waiting Room**

**Same Night – 12:15 AM**

Everyone waited nervously, fighting sleep in the waiting room. The sounds of doctors & nurses moving about could be faintly heard. Teana & Marie had returned to their pony forms, and the rest of Gamma Team had been 'ported in as well. They'd sat and waited for news for what felt like forever now. Celestia was with them; Luna was presently leading a special-ops team in sweeping the Everfree Forest for any remaining Zerg presence.

As one, their heads all turned to face the door to the ICU as it opened, a weary-looking stallion coming out, an untidy doctor's coat on him.

"Status report?" Celestia asked.

"Yes, your highness" he replied. "The patient was in truly terrible condition. She had several wounds that were infected to varying degrees and weren't healing properly; severe malnutrition; a large wound along her right side that cut deep enough to almost trigger a pneumothorax; brain scans show clinical depression, which among other things weakened her immune system, exacerbating her condition; her right eye was, essentially, totally destroyed; and, to put it in layman's terms, she was suffering the beginnings of starvation-induced multiple organ failure. …Between that, and the shock & blood loss from her eye, Trixie was on the knife's edge of death. Her… Her heart stopped three times while we were trying to stabilize her."

Shocked murmurs rang throughout the room as they learned just how bad it was. "I-Is she…?" Fluttershy asked.

"We managed to save her… barely. She isn't going to be dying, most likely, but she's in a very bad way. We have her on antibiotics, hydration, and IV nutrient feeds. The damage that malnutrition did to her body will heal, but she'll have that scar on her side… and we couldn't save her right eye."

A mixture of relief and sadness swept through the Mane Six.

"There is… another thing, Your Majesty. I mentioned she has clinical depression… She may be alive, but she no longer possesses the will to live. A powerful psychosomatic block is sealing her magic. And…" he sighed sadly "she's lost all faith in herself and her talent, such that her… her Cutie Mark has disappeared."

Several shocked gasps filled the room. To become so lost in sadness, sorrow, and self-loathing as to _lose_ one's Cutie Mark? It was unimaginable; even Celestia had only heard of it happening eight times in 1,300 years. Hearts filled with sadness and pity for the broken mare.

"C… Can we see her?" Twilight asked.

The doctor sighed. "Only registered healers and the Princesses are allowed to enter her room at this time… though the rest of you are allowed to view her through the room's hall-side window."

"Mai here is skilled with healing magic" Teana gestured to her friend, whose horn-tip glowed with a green spark of light.

"Very well" the doctor replied. "If you would all follow me…"

The group quietly followed the doctor past various staff members, heading for one of the rooms; the door was closed. The doctor pressed a switch, and the curtains blocking the window view to inside slid open. There was Trixie, lying in the bed with the sheets up to her chin. IVs ran into her forelimbs, and a bandage was over her… over where her right eye used to be. Celestia and Mai quietly made for the door, and the Princess stopped.

"Doctor?" she said. "Twilight Sparkle is my personal student. She had a hand in saving young Trixie's life. May she accompany us?"

"…If you will it, milady."

The alicorn nodded, and Twilight followed her and Kaede in.

"I asked for this…" Rainbow Dash said lowly, pressed against the glass, looking forlornly at the delicate little thing clinging to life in the bed. "When she threw that last boast and ran off all full of herself, I wished 'I hope something happens to break that haughty bitch's overinflated image of herself'. I wished for this to happen…" Her voice came out in a croak, choking up a little as she squinted her moistening eyes shut. "And I got it. And I wish to Ouranos above that I hadn't…"

"It's not your fault, Dash" Pinkie said softly, gently putting a forelimb around her close friend. "None of us could've known this would happen."

Inside the room, Mai's horn glowed softly as she began a diagnostic jutsu. That glow, along with the light from the vital monitors and from the open window, was the only illumination in the otherwise-dark room. Celestia looked down at her broken subject with sadness, which was equaled by Twilight. They watched as the emaciated blue-furred mare's chest slowly rose & fell.

"I did this…" Twilight murmured out, barely audible, her eyes and voice filled with pain and sadness. "She ran into the Everfree Forest because I showed her up. She lost all faith in her abilities because she saw mine."

"Twilight…" Celestia said softly. "It's not your fault."

"Then why does it hurt like it is?" she snapped, still keeping her volume as low as she could. "Why do I feel responsible for this? Why does seeing her like this fill me with such… guilt and hurt? …I l-literally can't imagine how much sadness is inside her, to leave her the way she is. …S-She asked me & Applejack to let her die, Princess. …H-How did the boisterous, boastful girl who rolled into town that day become this?"

"She most likely had a difficult past" Celestia replied. "A great deal of pain and doubts bottled up deep inside, so deep that she wasn't even fully aware of them. I know her type – acting proud to hide their issues, much more fragile than they appeared to be or assumed themselves to be, carrying a great weight in their hearts that they didn't even know was there until something happened to crack the façade that they fooled themselves & others with…"

Mai's horn's glow ceased as she finished her scan. "The doctor wasn't kidding" she said. "I'm gonna go talk with him and his coworkers. I have a few UNSC medical devices in subspace storage. I'm gonna see if they'll let me forge a cybernetic eye for Trixie."

Mai turned and walked out… just as Princess Luna walked in.

"The forest is clear, sister" she reported. "None of those 'Zerg' remain."

"Good" Celestia replied. "Good…"

Luna watched her elder sister with empathy as she focused on the broken young girl in the bed. Twilight Sparkle was there was well, laying a hoof on one of the wounded mare's. Suddenly, Trixie began to groan and whimper lightly in her sleep, head moving back & forth, eye squinting shut, as her heart rate went up. Luna walked up to her, and touched her horn to Trixie's. For that brief moment, Luna saw within Trixie's mind and Heart, and she was struck by the depths of despair and self-loathing she found. Then she got to work, doing what she had come closer to do. After a few seconds, Luna stepped back, eyes opening. Trixie had stopped tossing & turning, settling down, her heart rate going back down.

"W-What was all that?" Twilight asked.

"A nightmare was plaguing her" Luna replied. "I have given her a deep, calm, dreamless sleep, free of any specters that sought to haunt her rest. …I suspect that this may be the first sleep lacking in bad dreams that she has had in a long time."

"We should leave her to her rest" Celestia said.

As the three left the room, they found the others waiting for them, Mai among them.

"I'm going to stay here tonight, girls" Twilight said. "I wanna be here when she wakes up."

"I'll go watch the house," Ahsoka said, "and fill Spike in when he wakes up tomorrow morning."

"Thank you, Ahsoka."

"We'd all better get home" Sarah said. "It's late, and a lot of us are dead-on-our-feet tired."

"The Cakes are probably a little worried" Pinkie said. "I've got to fill them in on what I've been up to."

"Sister, you should go to bed" Luna said. "I will teleport these girls back to Ponyville."

Celestia nodded. "Thank you, Luna."

Seconds later, a flash of deep-blue accompanied the group vanishing.

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Canterlot Grand Hospital ICU, Room 27**

**Next Morning – 8:15 AM**

Trixie awoke feeling weak and sore all over. She didn't open her eyes yet, taking everything in by sound and touch first. The first thing she was aware of was feeling comfortably warm, more so than she had in a while. Rather than the rustling of leaves and the chirps of an occasional bird that dared live deep in Everfree Forest, she was greeted by rhythmic beeps, which she soon recognized as a heart monitor. She could tell she was lying in a bed. Bandages covered her head, her right side, and a few of her older wounds. That put everything together: she was in a hospital. Somepony had found her and taken her to one.

She tried to open her eyes a bit, and only her left eye responded. After a few seconds, the memories of last night came rushing back – Twilight Sparkle, the orange farmgirl, the attack of those monsters, and… losing her eye…

'Why did they save me?' she thought.

Forcing her remaining eye open, Trixie slowly looked around. The lights were off, but some light spilled through the curtains covering a window that led to the hallway. There were IV lines in her forelimbs. And, curled up like a cat on the foot of the bed, was a sleeping Twilight Sparkle.

'And I find myself thinking she looks cute like that…' Trixie thought.

The impression was magnified as Twilight woke up, yawning as she stretched out just like a cat, joints popping. She looked around with half-lidded eyes… that widened when she caught sight of Trixie watching her.

"Interesting sight to wake up to…" Trixie rasped, and then coughed, her throat dry.

"T-Trixie!" Twilight promptly levitated a glass of cool water to the other unicorn, who gratefully drank it. "Thank goodness you're awake!"

"…Why did you save me?"

Twilight's expression fell. "…Why did you want to die, Trixie? What happened to you?"

Trixie sighed. "I suppose I should start from the beginning. I am the third of four children. There's my big brother Cirrus who's three years older than me, so he'd be… 22 right about now; then there's my older sister Nixie, who's a year older than me; then there's me; and then Pixie, who's a year younger."

"…Nixie, Trixie, and Pixie?" Twilight said with a bit of deadpan to her tone.

"Dad thought it was funny, and apparently mom agreed. Anyway… I never stood out growing up. My sisters and I look almost exactly alike, and our voices are pretty similar, too. Because of that, ponies were always getting us confused; this was made worse because, while I hated it, Nixie & Pixie loved playing it for all it was worth – talking in synch, finishing each other's sentences, insisting on doing everything together and dragging me into it every chance they got… Mom was always busy making ends meet for us, and she often confused us for one another. My big brother Cirrus could tell us apart, but he was often busy with school."

"What about your father?"

"Dead. He died of illness when I was five; Big Bro survived it, dad didn't. Dad was an Earth Pony, and yet all four of us turned out as unicorns like mom… He and Cirrus were the only ones who could consistently tell the three of us apart.

"I got made fun of a lot growing up, for several reasons – the fact that my sisters & I looked so alike, the fact that I'm half Earth Pony, the fact that I wasn't noticeably good at everything… I've always been average, Twilight. Not really good at anything, just… average. And 'average' never gets noticed, never makes it anywhere. I got my Cutie Mark after a wave of color that raced through the sky inspired me to come up with a magic act for the school talent show. But even that didn't break the routine for long.

"My sisters were awful to have. Sure, they never really teased me, didn't mean to cause me harm, but… well, you probably know that somepony can cause others distress without meaning to or even knowing they're doing it. But a good chunk of my misery came from…" Trixie shuddered with fear "my cousin."

"Who's she?" Twilight asked.

"Checker Monarch" Trixie replied. "She's three years older than me. And she's a monster in pony form. Manipulative, cold, ruthless… She singled me out, and made it her life's mission to make me miserable. Lies, misdirection, cruel pranks, leading the local bullies and 'arming' them with knowledge to use against me, feeding my insecurities, and countless other things that I'd very much prefer not to think about right now.

"I spent _years_ as a nopony, stuck in the background, occasionally yanked into the spotlight just to be teased and tortured, unable to make anything of myself, with even my own mother and brother unable to see how much I hated it all. So one day, when I was about eight years old, I finally had enough. I left a note, and I ran away from home. And I never looked back."

She stopped to take a deep breath, composing herself. Twilight sat at her side, attentive.

"I wandered the country, never staying in one place too long, so Foal Protective Services couldn't find me and… bring me back to the place I ran from. To make ends meet, I started my own traveling show. I cultivated a showman's personality… and over time I became it, convincing myself that I really was Great & Powerful. I… was able to take care of myself, more or less."

Her eye closed. "And then I came to Ponyville. And everything went to Hell. …That day… that night… showed me how wrong I'd come to be, how badly I'd been fooling myself. When I was in the Everfree Forest, my eyes were opened to the cruel truth. I'm not special. I'm not skilled, or powerful. I'm not even average. I'm nothing. I was born as nothing, and I will die as nothing. That's the fate that has been set out for me. And I was a fool to try fighting it. Twilight… I'm sorry I put your friends through all that I did… and I'm sorry you wasted your time saving someone who's already dead."

Twilight felt heartbroken as she saw and heard the depths of the other girl's hopeless despair. She crawled forward, and Trixie gasped lightly in surprise as she hugged her. Despite herself, the broken girl found tears coming to her remaining eye, and she found herself hugging back as best she could. They stayed like that for a few minutes.

"If your old life is full of such pain and loneliness…" Twilight finally said, "then maybe… you could try starting a new one. With us, in Ponyville."

"I… W-What's the point? I'm _nothing_!"

"Then let us make you into something!" Twilight pleaded. "Let us give you a better life! Let us help you get back on your hooves! Let us give you a home, security, safety, _friendship_! You may not think you deserve happiness, but you _do_! _Everyone_ does! Let us help you find it! Please, Trixie! Give yourself a chance! A chance to start over! Let us help you!"

"I… I…" Trixie couldn't form words at the moment, and she couldn't understand why she was crying from what Twilight was saying. In the core of her Heart, beneath all the fatalistic despair, she felt a tiny spark of something she hadn't felt in a long, long time:

Hope.

She took a deep, slow breath. "Okay" she whispered faintly.

Trixie then found it a bit hard to breathe from how tight Twilight hugged her, but that was fine.

"Thank you" Twilight said. "I promise you, we _will_ make things better for you. I swear it."

"…What about the townsfolk?" Trixie asked. "I imagine they won't be happy to see me."

"The girls and I will explain everything to them. And if any of them still want to try and hurt you, _we'll_ hurt _them_. We won't let the mistakes of your past jeopardize your future any more. …Thank you for giving yourself another chance to find true happiness."

"Mm… Twilight… Who and what exactly was that who saved us in the Forest?"

"That was my friend Applejack."

"Not her. The armored biped. Who and what was that?"

Twilight took a few steps back. "It's a looong story" she said.

"I obviously have plenty of time" Trixie replied.

Twilight nodded, as she began to tell Trixie everything she knew.

**-**_**CHAPTER END**_**-**

Next Time: The Crusaders' plan hits a "snag", and Trixie's healing begins.


	5. Mother

**PLEASE SEE CHAPTER ONE FOR MOST DISCLAIMERS**

PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE & CHARACTER PAGES

**-**_**CHAPTER START**_**-**

**Ponyville**

**Two Days Later**

Six fillies walked through town together, going nowhere in particular. The plan to 'turn Diamond Tiara good again' was progressing slowly but steadily. Erika had gone out of her way to befriend Diamond, and then use her status as both the Twosome's friend and the Cutie Mark Crusaders' to (with Silver Spoon's subtle help and the Crusaders' cooperation) organize activities/excuses to get the two groups together with her fairly often. As a result, Diamond Tiara had _slowly_ begun to ease up on her teasing of the Crusaders as she began to get to know them on a personal level (and because she didn't want to upset Erika).

Right now, the sextet wandered aimlessly through town, looking for something to do and making small talk.

"And so he says, 'Answer that and stay fashionable'."

Diamond Tiara couldn't help but giggle, as did Silver Spoon.

"I don't get it" Scootaloo said.

"Yeah, Rarity says that Twilight didn't get it the first time she told it to her, either" Sweetie Belle replied.

"So what now?" Apple Bloom asked.

"W-What have you girls not done yet trying to get your C-Cutie Marks?" Erika asked. "D-Did you try surfing?"

"Tried it" Scootaloo replied.

"Crocheting?" Silver Spoon asked.

"Tried it" Sweetie Belle replied.

"Tennis?" Diamond Tiara asked.

"Tried it," Apple Bloom replied, "and we ain't allowed back at the tennis court without adult supervision."

"I still don't understand how it caught fire…" Sweetie Belle thought aloud.

Diamond Tiara stared at Sweetie Belle. "Tennis and… fire? …What?"

"You get used to it" Scootaloo deadpanned. "A lot of our attempts to earn our Marks end with something on fire, or with us covered in tree sap."

"And there was that one time with the burning tree sap" Sweetie Belle said. "Remember that one?"

"I wish I didn't" Apple Bloom replied.

"At least Old Man Jenkins thought it was funny…" Scootaloo sighed.

The girls were silent as they tried to think of something to do.

"I know!" Scootaloo popped up. "Let's share stories: What's the ickiest feeling you've ever experienced?"

"The time I tried to cook when I was six and ended up with gelatin in my ear" Diamond Tiara replied.

"The time I got tree sap caught in my wings" Scootaloo said, shuddering slightly.

"The time we got caught in a taffy machine" Apple Bloom said. "I had some stuck in a very unfortunate place…"

Erika shuffled nervously, her cheeks going pink. "T-The one time that I… m-messed my… y'know, and then l-lost my balance and fell over and landed on my butt…"

The other girls winced.

"Well, that beats my story with the flu…" Silver Spoon replied.

"And mine with the tartar sauce and the orange peels" Sweetie Belle added.

"…L-Let's get back to the town square" Erika suggested. "This r-road leads straight to it, right?"

"Pretty sure it does, yeah" Silver Spoon replied.

Diamond Tiara, however, had a look of panic as she remembered exactly what was on the route between here and town center, along this very road. "No!" she cried out, drawing stares. "I-I mean… It's s-such a nice day, so why don't we go a longer way; take the scenic route, y'know?"

"Uh…" Apple Bloom was a bit puzzled by Diamond's sudden odd behavior. "But I gotta get home in time for lunch, or my sister won't be too happy."

"Oh, I'm sure they'd understand if we just explained it to them" Diamond said with a forced grin, followed up with a forced laugh.

"Sis is actually expecting me for something" Sweetie Belle said.

"And I gotta go watch Rainbow Dash practice" Scootaloo added.

"And it's been a few hours s-since I… went…" Erika murmured "s-so I'm probably gonna need to f-find one of my sisters soon."

"And I've gotta help my dad with something" Silver Spoon said.

Diamond gulped. There was no way around it. She just hoped that she'd be able to lead them past the facility quickly, and that nothing would happen. Taking a deep breath, she started down the path, walking rather fast; the other five had to work a little to keep up with her.

"Hey DT, what's the rush all of a sudden?" Scootaloo asked.

"Uh… J-Just thought we could use a little exercise! And you girls have stuff you gotta get to quick, right?"

'She's hidin' somethin', all right' Apple Bloom thought. 'But what? What's got her spooked?'

'Oh no…' Silver Spoon thought. 'I just remembered. This road leads right past…'

They hurried along the path, passing a few ponies here & there. About a third of the way there, Diamond Tiara's blood ran cold as they approached the place she was trying to avoid: Ponyville Mental Asylum. The place had been founded decades ago, back when caring for the mentally unwell was… not as advanced as it was today, so it still bore the old-timey word "asylum" even though it was one of the most advanced and up-to-date-protocol mental health facilities in the country. But that didn't really matter to Diamond. She picked up the pace while trying hard not to look like she was doing so.

'Oh Celestia, please don't let any of the staff who know me see me' she silently prayed.

"Diamond Tiara? Is that you?"

She jumped as she heard her name. She and the others caught sight of one of the facility orderlies, currently on break. He was waving at her.

"I haven't seen you around in a while, little gal" he said. "Come to visit your mother?"

She flinched. "N-No, I was just… passing through."

"Oh. Well, she misses you. She asks about you now & then… when she's lucid, that is." He looked at a wall clock. "Whoops! Break's over! Well, it was good seeing ya, kid."

Behind her, the Crusaders and Erika had now put two and two and two together. Everyone was silent for several seconds.

"U-Uh…" Sweetie Belle started.

Diamond Tiara spun to face them, and they flinched back from the terrifying look on her face, tears brimming in her rage-filled eyes.

"Yeah, that's right!" she shouted angrily. "My mom's in the nuthouse! She's been there since I was five! Go ahead and say shit about it! Come on! I'm used to it!"

"W-We're not going to-" Sweetie Belle started

"_Liar_! Everyone who knows does! I'm the daughter of a madpony, and I'm never allowed to forget it! I only stopped being bullied because I _became_ the bully, and now everyone's too afraid to pick on me for it! I've become stronger than they all are! P-Prettier and smarter and better!"

"Tiara…" Apple Bloom said, staying calm. "None of us would do that. We can understand what kinda pain you-"

"No you can't! You _can't_ understand it! You don't even _have_ parents, you stupid blank-flanked _hick_!-!"

The other girls gasped in shock, expecting Bloom to go off.

"Girls…" Apple Bloom said in a careful, quiet tone. "Please leave."

"A-Apple Bloom…" Silver Spoon started.

"I ain't gonna hurt her, Silver, if that's what you're worried about. Go, girls. I'll handle things here."

Reluctantly, Silver Spoon, Erika, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle kept going down the road, leaving the two Earth Ponies to themselves.

"…I'd always wondered what happened ta her" Apple Bloom said. "I remember, from when I was little. Golden Tiara… She an' Granny Smith were friends, an' she an' Big Mac got along like little brother & big sister. I don't remember her too well, but I do remember that she was popular, loved by damn near everyone. She cared for everypony, like Pinkie Pie does."

"That was before her mind snapped like a twig" Diamond Tiara bit out.

"An' you became the bully y'all are because ya wanted to protect yourself… and your ma's memory. Ya wanted to be able ta stand tall, be better than everypony else."

"Because I _am_ better!" Diamond replied. "The blank-flanks, the bullies, the patronizers – none of them dare stand against me, because I've crushed them all!"

Apple Bloom took a deep breath. "Diamond Tiara, I'm gonna ask you a question. Just one. An' I want y'all to think real hard about it. Your mother was a kind an' gentle soul, who looked out for the little folks, who championed equality, who taught me when I was little to never be afraid to ask others for help, who loved to see kids smile, and who was overall as benevolent and understanding as Celestia herself. Tell me, Diamond. After all you've done… Breakin' foals' hearts, teasin' those you see as lesser than yerself, excludin' lonely folks, not helpin' anyone unless it benefits you… Would your mama be happy with what you've done and become?"

The question pierced through Diamond Tiara like an arrow. She briefly forgot how to breathe.

"If Golden Tiara found out what y'all have been doin' to other ponies… would she approve? Ask yerself that, Diamond. I ain't expectin' an answer right now; take what time ya need to figure it out. …I gotta catch up with the others. I'll see ya later."

With that, Apple Bloom turned and walked away, down the path to town. Diamond Tiara sat there, eyes still wide, unmoving. Her breathing slowly became quicker and shallower. She began hyperventilating as she clutched her head between her hooves, tears falling from her wide-as-can-be eyes. In her mind, she could see her mother's look of sad disapproval. She fell to the ground, curled up on herself.

'She's right… She's right… She's right! SHE'S RIGHT!-! I… I… M-Mama would never… M-Mama… I… I've… W… What… have I… _WHAT AM I_?-!'

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Ponyville General Hospital**

**Later That Day**

Trixie let out a weary sigh as Twilight helped her into the bed of the room she'd be staying in for a few days. The purple unicorn had, upon being cleared by Canterlot Hospital's doctors, teleported the two of them here, so Trixie could complete her recovery in Ponyville, where it'd be easier for everyone to visit her. The new cybernetic eye presently occupying her right socket was functioning perfectly; she already sometimes forgot it was synthetic… though she usually got a reminder whenever anyone looked at it, seeing as it was unmistakably mechanical to anyone who got a good look at it, with the scar that ran down across the eye making it abundantly clear what had happened.

"How are you feeling, Trixie?" Twilight asked. "Physically, I mean?"

"A little better" Trixie replied. "They've been pumping nutrients into me, and as of this morning I have the strength to eat again. I still feel tired and weak, though. My wounds are still sore, my muscles are still recovering, sitting up too fast makes my head hurt… though strangely the toothache I had is gone."

"Yeah, uh… When they had you under to put your new eye in, they… might've treated a cavity or two. One of them was almost bad enough to need a root canal, but they got it before it could get that bad."

"Remind me to thank whoever it was if I see them again… especially for doing it when I was out cold. I _hate_ the dentist…"

She sighed. "I just don't know what you're going to do about the townsfolk. I imagine there are a few who'd still be happy to have my head."

"I think…" Twilight said "the only way we'll make sure they all know how bad things got, how much you've changed, is if we tell them all everything. And if any of them still have a problem with you, we'll protect you."

"…Thank you, Twilight…"

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Rich/Tiara Residence**

**Two Days Later – 1:15 PM**

A small hoof knocked on the door of the rather large and impressive-looking two-story house/mansion. An Earth Pony maid, with fur the same shade of purple as Twilight's and a mane & tail that could best be described as Diamond Tiara's with the colors reversed, answered the door. "Oh, hello Silver Spoon" she said with a smile. "And I see you've got some company."

"Hello, Starshine" Silver nodded in greeting. "We came to check on Diamond Tiara. Is she here?"

"Erm… Yes, but… Well, perhaps I'd better let her father explain. If you would all come in, I'll go fetch him."

The five girls followed Starshine in, being ushered into the main hall and told to wait as Starshine headed off in search of her employer. Less than a minute later, he emerged. Filthy Rich was a fairly tall stallion, with tan fur and black mane & tail, and a Mark of three bags of money.

"Silver Spoon? And little Apple Bloom? What brings you girls and your friends here?"

"Hello, Mr. Rich" Silver Spoon said. "We… came to check on Diamond Tiara."

"We haven't seen hide nor hair of her since the… incident two days ago" Apple Bloom said.

Filthy Rich sighed. "I don't know what happened to her, but it must've been bad. She's a wreck; she barely eats, I _know_ she's not getting any sleep, she has this… haunted look in her eyes, she barely says anything, and I… found her favorite tiara in pieces yesterday."

The girls exchanged worried looks. "Gosh…" Apple Bloom said. "I knew she'd end up considerin' what I said, but…"

The stallion's eyes widened. "You know what might've caused my daughter to be like this?"

Bloom sighed. "It's a bit of a long story, sir."

He led them to a few chairs where they could all sit down. Then, the girls started their explanations, Starshine listening in. They told of Diamond's bullying habits (Filthy knew his little girl was a bit of a brat, but the extent of her bullying caught him by surprise), of the girl's out-of-nowhere display of kindness toward Erika (who, with some persuasion, shyly confessed her "problem"; thankfully, Filthy Rich and Starshine were very understanding), of Silver Spoon's plan to bring the hidden goodness of Diamond's heart out into the light, of the few things they did as a group… and of the happenings two days ago, with Apple Bloom explaining to everyone what she'd said to Diamond.

"When I asked her the question," the yellow filly said, "she jerked like she'd just been shot, an' she stopped breathin' for several seconds. So I knew that what I said had hit home. I told 'er to ask herself it, an' to take her time comin' up with an answer, and then I left. I… I didn't expect for her to react _this_ badly, though…"

Filthy Rich sighed. "That explains a great deal" he said solemnly. "Diamond Tiara was made to face herself and her actions from an objective viewpoint, and she didn't like what she saw at all. …She must think she's betrayed Golden Tiara by acting how she's been acting, and the guilt from that is eating her alive."

"So what should we do?" Scootaloo asked. "Should we… try talking to her?"

"I don't see how that could cause any more damage than has already been done. Go right ahead; Starshine will lead you to Diamond's room."

The five fillies followed the head maid up some stairs and down a hallway. They soon reached a door bearing a gem-encrusted plaque of a heart with a tiara in the middle. Starshine gently opened the door, revealing a little bundle of pink curled up on the bed, turned away from the door. Starshine nodded, and the five girls quietly walked in, the door shutting behind them. They walked over, and Silver Spoon jumped up onto the bed.

"Leave me alone, Starshine…" Diamond Tiara muttered weakly.

"Not her this time, DT" Silver Spoon replied.

Diamond startled a bit at hearing someone she wasn't expecting. She rolled over to see Silver Spoon sitting next to her, and then spotted Erika & the Crusaders. Her eyes went wide, and as they all hopped up on the bed she stared at them, at a loss for words.

"Diamond…" Apple Bloom said softly. "We came to check up on ya. We've been worried."

She gasped, and tears built in her eyes. "…You… You were right…" she whimpered. "I… I never thought about what mama would want… what she would say… I've …h-hurt so many ponies… ponies who are j-just like how I used to be… I've gone against everything mama taught me, everything she stood for… I…" she choked up. She squeaked out "I'm sorry."

Silver Spoon reached out and pulled her into a hug just as the tears started falling. Apple Bloom and Erika soon joined in, and Scootaloo & Sweetie Belle's pity for the girl outweighed their old grievances with her, so they too joined.

"I… I don't know how to make things right…" Diamond whimpered. "I don't think I remember how to be good."

"Well, we can help ya with that" Sweetie Belle replied.

"B-But I've… After all I've…"

"A w-wise woman I've worked with once said something" Erika replied. "She said 'Your past doesn't define who you are; it just gives you the starting point for who you're going to be.' I w-won't deny the journey will be tough, but… won't it be worth it, when you think about it?"

"… Will… Will you girls help me along the path?" Diamond whimpered.

"Every step of the way" Apple Bloom replied.

They stayed like that for a while, and were still in their group hug when Starshine came in to check on them. As they slowly separated, Starshine felt happy as she saw that some of the weight was off Diamond's shoulders.

Suddenly, Erika squeaked and went red. "U-Um… I think I need to g-go find one of my sisters…"

Starshine smiled. "I can take care of you, dear. I _did_ help raise Diamond _and_ Silver, after all."

"Eh?" the turquoise filly's blush deepened. "U-Um…"

"Do you have the necessary supplies?"

"I-In a subspace pocket, yes."

The change proceeded as planned, with poor Erika mortified at having it done right in front of her friends _and_ by somebody – er, somepony – she didn't really know.

"There we go!" Starshine chirped. "All better!"

"T-Thanks…" the girl murmured, fidgeting. "S-So, um… What do we do now?"

"Would ya mind if'n we hung out with ya for a bit, DT?" Apple Bloom asked.

"N-No, that'd be fine" Tiara replied.

Erika reached for her skirt… and then stopped. "Um… W-Would you girls mind if I… w-went with… exposed?"

"Nah" Scootaloo replied. "It's cool. Don't worry about it."

Sweetie Belle giggled. "You look really cute" she said, causing the girl to blush deeper.

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Ponyville Mental Asylum/Hospital**

**Same Day – 2:50 PM**

"You sure you wanna do this, DT?" Scootaloo asked.

"No…" Diamond Tiara replied. "But I need to."

"You're not the only one who hasn't visited her as much as you should…" Filthy Rich said guiltily. "I'm here for ya, honey."

"Thanks, dad…" She swallowed nervously. "W-Well… H-Here we go…"

The seven walked through the door, Diamond Tiara leading. She was soon spotted by a black-furred pegasus mare with forest-green mane, seated at the receptionist desk.

"Diamond Tiara?" she asked. "It's been quite a while since I've seen you around, dear."

"H-Hello, Ms. Soft Thunder. I've… We've come to visit my mother. She's still in Blue Ward, Room 204?"

"Huh? Oh, you haven't been here in a while, so you haven't heard. She's in Teal Ward, Room 3 now."

"Teal Ward?" Diamond asked. "Isn't that for patients who…"

"…are almost normal, who're nearing the end of their time here and who are anticipated to be allowed out within a year's time, yes. Golden Tiara's mental state has undergone remarkable improvements since you were last here. She still gets the delusions, but she also gets regular periods of lucidity, and the "episodes" are getting rarer. In fact, she can feel the delusions coming and suppress & postpone them, for several hours if necessary. And when they do happen, they last a lot less time. The frequency and intensity of her "episodes" is steadily decreasing, and she's coming up with mental control exercises that we're pretty sure might actually do the rest of the work. The fact that she gets them _at all_ is the only reason we have to still keep her here for now. If things keep up at this rate… she might actually be ready for release in less than a year."

Diamond and Filthy's jaws dropped. "Are… Are you serious?" Filthy Rich asked.

"O-Oh, Mr. Rich. I didn't see you there. Y-Yes, I'm completely serious. Your wife is almost well again. She… has presently 'shunted' the "unstable" parts into another personality who calls herself Screwball. GT and Screwball are able to talk to each other via thought, and see what the other sees. Generally, Ms. Tiara keeps Screwball on a short leash for most of the day, and then about once or twice a day she goes to her room, locks the door, and lets Screwball have reign for about an hour or so. She tells me she's been trying to convince Screwball to "re-merge" with her so she'll be "complete", and thus fully well; she's described the incident four years ago as having fractured her mind into several pieces that have since been slowly pulling themselves together, and Screwball's the last piece yet to be reintegrated.

"With all the things she's done lately, she's almost as much a staff member as a patient here. She keeps the… less fortunate patients in line, she'll occasionally act as a semi-unofficial counselor or help new additions adapt to the facility, and just yesterday she helped thwart a suicide. She's actually one of only two patients allowed free reign of nearly the entire facility, because of how much control she has over her 'problems' and how big of help she's been in keeping the… less stable patients under control."

"Can she still… dislocate her bones?" Diamond asked.

"Wait, what?" Scootaloo chimed in. "Your mom can do _what_?"

"Actually, she's _always_ been able to do that" Filthy Rich replied to his daughter. "Since before I met her, in fact. She's always had a freakishly high pain tolerance, thanks in part to some accident she was in as a foal where she had to have some nasty injuries treated without anesthetic."

"So _that's_ where that comes from…" Soft Thunder said. "…She loves to use it to scare the hell out of new additions to the staff."

Filthy chuckled. "Yep, that sounds like her, alright. She's always loved to mess with people."

"Twilight says that P-Princess Celestia's the same way" Erika said. "T-The Princess apparently doesn't like all the o-overt, stuffy formality her position l-leaves her surrounded by, s-so she tries to lighten the atmosphere w-whenever she can."

Filthy Rich looked at the half-clothed filly with surprise. "…Why does that not sound as unexpected to me as it should?"

"Well, if you've lived for over 3,000 years, you've gotta do _something_ to keep from going stir-crazy with boredom, I guess" Silver Spoon said.

Suddenly, a group of orderlies were visible running by in the hallway behind the receptionist desk. They looked panicked.

"What's going on?" Soft Thunder asked.

"It's that new patient, the unicorn named Bada-Boom! He's having an episode!"

Soft Thunder cursed under her breath. "How bad is it?"

"We've got ponies tryin' to talk him down, but…"

"What's all the hubbub about?" Filthy Rich asked.

"Bada-Boom's special talent is Explosion magic" Soft Thunder said.

Filthy Rich and the fillies widened eyes when they heard this. "H-How bad could it be if he… blows?" Erika asked.

"Anywhere from wrecking a single room to demolishing an entire wing of the building" Soft Thunder replied.

Erika's expression hardened, and her body surged visibly with magic. "If the worst happens, I can form a max-strength Shield Bubble spell to contain the blast" she said.

With that, she took off running down the hall, with Mr. Rich and the five other fillies trying to catch up to her. They soon found her peeking around the corner of a large room. In the center of it was a wild-eyed white unicorn with blazing red-and-orange mane & tail, and a Cutie Mark of an old cartoon-style spherical black bomb with a burning fuse. Around him were several ponies in white coats, keeping their distance and looking way. But what caught the newcomers' attention was the Earth Pony mare with purple coat and purple-with-white-stripes mane & tail who was among them, a few steps closer to Bada-Boom, speaking to him with a smile and a careful tone.

"BB…" Golden Tiara said carefully, using Bada-Boom's favored nickname. "Everyone here is your friend, and no-one wants to hurt you."

"Yeah, right…" the unstable unicorn replied.

"Come on, BB!" said a young-looking pegasus stallion, his crisp white coat marking him as a new orderly, his name tag reading 'Victory Lap'. "Think of a happy place! Now, what makes you happy?"

Bada-Boom gained a small yet crazed smile. "Being in the middle of a _huge_ explosion!" he answered.

Golden Tiara's eyes visibly widened, and she elbowed the pegasus next to her. "Less 'happy place', Vic" she whispered frantically. "Less 'happy place'!" She then turned back to Bada-Boom, her smile in place again. "Think calming thoughts… Remember that 'flowery meadow' exercise we taught you? Let's just calm down, okay? Nice… and calm…"

"H-How do I calm down?" Bada-Boom asked.

"Y'know what's worked for me when it comes to calming myself down?" Victory Lap said. "Let's try counting backwards from 10! It _always_ works for me! 10… 9… 8…"

"_No!-!_" several ponies, including Golden Tiara, interrupted, eyes wide with sudden panic. Filthy Rich felt his heart-rate go up by a not-insignificant margin.

"J-Just picture nighttime, BB" Golden Tiara said. "Nice… calm… cool… quiet… Stars overhead, cool breeze blowing… Doesn't that sound good, yeah? Nice and calm, just before bed…"

Bada-Boom's random twitches slowly subsided, the wild look leaving his eyes. "Y-Yeah…" he muttered. "Nighttime… Quiet… C-Calm…"

"There, now. Now… why don't you let my friends get you back to your room? Okay?"

"Y-Yeah. Sure…"

Bada-Boom allowed two orderlies to slowly, cautiously approach him, and he let them lead him to his place. As soon as he was gone, everyone let out a sigh of relief.

"Man, that was close" Victory Lap said. "I thought we were-OW!-!"

Golden Tiara thwacked him on the head rather hard, glaring at him.

"What the hell was that for?" he whined.

"Almost getting us all _killed_, you _idiot_!" she snapped. "Do you _ever_ think before you speak?-!"

"That _was_ suicidally stupid, new kid" one of the older, bigger orderlies said as he looked at Victory Lap with a disapproving glare. "Go feed Screwloose."

"B-But she keeps trying to bite me!" Vic protested.

"Move it!" the bigger orderly ordered, sending Victory Lap scurrying.

Golden Tiara sighed, resting her forehead in her hoof. She felt a hoof giving her a congratulatory pat on the back.

"Damn good job, Tiara" the older orderly said. "Calming Bada-Boom down, _and_ covering for that thick-skulled newb's mistake? That was golden."

"Why, yes I am" she replied with a grin. "That is my name, after all."

The visitors were calming down as well. "Well, I think I just got three years of my lifespan scared off me" Scootaloo said.

"Same here, kid" Filthy Rich replied. "Same here."

"You good for a while?" the orderly asked Golden Tiara.

"Oh, yeah" she replied. "I let Screwball have an hour and a half at the reins a little while ago. I reckon I'm good for about another seven or eight hours, actually."

He nodded, and then he turned his head and noticed the visitors. He promptly tapped GT on the shoulder and pointed. She turned to look, and her eyes lit up as a big smile formed on her face.

"Honey! Diamond!"

She walked over to them, as Diamond Tiara took the lead, walking up to her with a mixture of emotions. But when Golden promptly pulled Diamond into a hug, the filly felt a warmth she hadn't felt in a long time.

"Mama…" she whimpered. "I'm sorry…"

"For what, sweetie?" her mother said, softly stroking her mane.

"For not visiting you, and… for going against everything you've ever stood for."

Golden Tiara looked at her in confusion. "What do you mean by that?"

"Apparently," Scootaloo chimed in, "she took your departure… rather poorly."

"…How so?"

Diamond Tiara let out a few whimpers, and then the words came tumbling out. She was only partially articulate as she confessed everything. When it was over she was openly crying, but was surprised to feel her mother gently hugging and nuzzling her.

"It's okay, honey" she said softly. "You made mistakes, but it's not too late to fix them. And your friends are willing to help them in that."

The other five fillies nodded in agreement. "We've got yer back, DT" Apple Bloom said.

Golden Tiara looked at the other fillies. "…Apple Bloom? Is that you? …My goodness, you've grown since I last saw you. And Silver Spoon? I see you've got glasses now. And… Rarity's baby sister… Sweetie Belle, right? And… Um…"

"I'm… new in town" Scootaloo said. "I foun- I mean, moved here about half a year ago. My name's Scootaloo. And together, me, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Bell are…"

The trio of fillies made a _sentai_-style pose. "The Cutie Mark Crusaders!"

Golden Tiara had to struggle not to crack up; these three were just so cute and funny together! She then caught sight of the little skirt-clad turquoise filly, shuffling nervously.

"U-Um… I'm Erika…" she said quietly.

Golden Tiara smiled; this girl's mannerisms reminded her of Fluttershy (she wondered how the shy pegasus was doing nowadays). "Are you new here too, dear?" she asked.

"Y-Yeah. M-My big sisters and their friends are… h-here visiting for a while, and I c-came along with them, as did m-my boyfriend."

Suddenly, there was a knocking on a nearby window. The group looked to see a dark-green pegasus with somewhat-wild black mane fluttering just outside, looking in.

"M-Marie?" Erika said. "W-What're you doing here?"

"Looking for you" the girl replied (somewhat muffled by the window). "Whatcha doin' here, kiddo?"

Golden Tiara looked to one of the unicorn staff members, who used his telekinesis to open the window, allowing Marie to fly in.

"Thank you" she nodded to them.

"I w-was just accompanying Diamond in s-something she had to do" Erika explained. "I-Is that okay?"

The pegasus-form girl smiled. "Sure it is" she said, petting the little girl on the head. "So what's happenin' here?"

-_Mini-Break_-

**Same Place**

**One Hour Later**

The gathering had 'snowballed', to the point where the facility had provided one of their larger meeting rooms. Courtesy of some telepathy with Marie & Erika, Timmy and the rest of Gamma Team had shown up, with the Mane Six and Spike close behind. Golden Tiara, for one, was thrilled to be able to spend time with so many friendly ponies, especially since it involved getting to see AJ, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie again (Rainbow Dash had moved in a year after GT's 'incident').

"Hey, do you mind if I 'port out and get someone?" Twilight asked. "She's still recovering, and she needs to socialize a little. The doctors say it'd be okay."

"I don't see why not" the orderly stationed as an observer said. "But do you mean, she's a patient somewhere?"

"Yeah, she's got some serious issues with her self-image, and she's also got some nasty injuries and malnutrition. She's recovering, but it's slow going."

"Go right ahead, Twilight" GT replied.

"Right. Be back in a few minutes!"

A flash of purple, and Twilight was gone. Golden Tiara then turned to Teana.

"Pardon me for asking, but… do you have combat training?"

The girls of Gamma straightened, looking a bit nervous.

"I can tell by some subtle cues" Golden Tiara continued. "Subtle signals in your body language, how you have this constant low tension to you, it took you seven longer to relax, how you're taking turns as lookout while trying not to look like you're doing so… Judging by some of the signs I've picked up, you girls are a Field Ops team of some sort". She turned to Teana. "And I'm guessing you're the team leader."

After several seconds, Teana closed her eyes and let a small smirk form. "You're good" she said. "Yeah, it's true."

"Wait, seriously?-!" Diamond Tiara interrupted. "You seven are soldiers?-!"

"We're a Spec-Ops team, yeah" Shion replied. "I know we seem a little young for that, but our skill sets are too valuable not to use. It's a long story."

There was a sudden flash of purplish-white light in the middle of the room, revealing Twilight and another, blue unicorn.

"I'm back!" Twilight said.

Trixie, meanwhile, looked around at the multitude of ponies she now shared a room with. The kids and Diamond's parents, meanwhile, felt shock as they got a good look at her – unhealthily thin, bandages covering several wounds on her body including a large one on her right side, the slash-scar that went vertically across her obviously-cybernetic right eye, the dulled, morose look on her downcast face, and…

"W-Where's her Cutie Mark?" Apple Bloom asked, quietly so that Trixie – who was across the room from her, the kids, and DT's folks – couldn't hear.

"All ponies earn their Cutie Marks when they discover their special talent…" Fluttershy said. "But there's something that has happened only a hoof-full of times in the past several centuries. When a pony gives into great despair, and loses all faith in themselves and their special talent… their Cutie Mark can disappear. They see themselves as having no purpose, and thus they lose the mark that defines their purpose. Trixie is so lost in self-loathing and depression, so convinced that she's purposeless, meaningless, and talentless, that she _lost_ her Cutie Mark to her sadness."

The listeners' reactions – shock, horror, empathic pity – were wholly understandable.

"A pony can… l-lose their Cutie Mark?" Apple Bloom whimpered.

"By Ouranos…" Golden Tiara murmured. "Poor girl…"

"W-When we showed up to see Diamond Tiara earlier today…" Erika confessed, "it d-did look like her Cutie Mark w-was a little… faded out. I-It's back in full now, though."

"It's normal for a pony's Cutie Mark to lose some color when they're really, really down" Twilight replied as she walked up. "But to lose it completely is extremely rare."

Trixie caught sight of Golden Tiara giving her best Kind Motherly Smile, and she felt compelled to walk over to her.

"Hello there"

"H-Hi…"

The group hang-out lasted for another hour or so, before everyone went home. Diamond Tiara and Filthy Rich were the last to leave.

As Golden Tiara watched them leave, she – and only she – saw the other transparent pony now seated next to her, bearing her colors but with a wild, messed-up mane, swirls in her eyes, and a different Cutie Mark.

'_Welly-well-well, this was an innnnteresting day, wouldn't ya say?_' the other pony asked.

'Indeed it was, Screwball' Golden though back. 'Indeed it was.'

**-**_**CHAPTER END**_**-**

Next time: stuff.


	6. Stories

**PLEASE SEE CHAPTER ONE FOR MOST DISCLAIMERS**

_**DEAD SPACE **_**IS THE PROPERTY OF VISCERAL GAMES**

_**GEARS OF WAR **_**IS THE PROPERTY OF EPIC GAMES**

PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE & CHARACTER PAGES

**-**_**CHAPTER START**_**-**

**Twilight's House/Library**

**Three Days Later – 9:50 AM**

The past few days had been mostly uneventful. Trixie was allowed outside the hospital so long as someone certified was with her at all times; this meant that she spent most of her time in the company of either Kaede or Mai. However, she also spent quite a bit of time visiting Golden Tiara, feeling rather comfortable in the presence of the motherly woman, who in turn had quickly become very supportive and protective of the broken girl.

Teana, meanwhile, had determined via observation how Golden Tiara had been able to tell she and her team had combat experience: Golden Tiara herself had combat experience as well – and plenty of it, from what Teana could tell. It came as quite the shock to Filthy Rich when she asked about it, describing the very subtle cues she caught – the very idea that his wife had that kind of training was news to him. Though he confessed that he didn't know much about what she did before he met her… and there were those times she went off "on business trips" and "to visit her family", and sometimes came back bearing inexplicable minor injuries… Not to mention the fact that it was during one of these trips that her mysterious "incident" that damaged her mind happened…

And then there had been that recent incident involving Fluttershy's brief but strikingly popular stint as a fashion model… one that she _hated_, leading to her breaking it off just yesterday.

Right now, though, the "Mane Six", Spike, Trixie, the Crusaders, Erika & Timmy, and Gamma Team were all gathered in the main room of Twilight's house. A big-screen TV had been conjured, and the Temporal Constriction Field was in place. Everyone gathered round as Marie took center stage.

"Okay" she said. "Now, what normally happens is that we show the local group of whatever world we're in archived footage of various happenings we've been through. But that's not what we're doing today, mainly because Ahsoka & Shion have both had visions stating that we don't yet have everyone we're going to. Instead, I'm going to be showing _all_ of you recorded playthroughs of two of my favorite game series: the two extant _Dead Space_ games and the _Gears of War _trilogy. This will not only introduce you to some good storytelling, but also show you locals more of what humans look like, how they fight, and whatnot. Now I warn you, this stuff's kinda graphic in terms of violence and blood, but I'm sure you can all handle it. This'll help get you a bit used to it for when you see the footage of _our_ exploits."

"What's the story about?" Dash asked.

"First is the _Dead Space _duology – it's meant to be trilogy, but the third installment hasn't been released yet. Long story short, a mining starship has gone silent, and a team has been sent to investigate and repair. You'll find out the rest as we go. Is everyone ready?"

"Ready!" Pinkie Pie cried, holding a bucket of popcorn. Next to her sat Spike, holding a bucket of gemstones.

"Okay, then! Let us begin!"

-_Mini-Break_-

"_So how do we get in there?_"

"_Straight ahead. We do have a giant drill._"

"…_You know I'm riding on top of this thing, right? …Ellie? …Ellie! ELLIE!-!_"

There were several chuckles amongst the audience as poor Isaac was subjected to yet another experience he'd rather not go through, only this time much less frightening (for the audience, that is) than the others.

"_Holy crap, that hurt…_"

Everyone had (eventually) gotten used to the excessive blood/gore of _Dead Space_ (though the "jump scare" moments, as Pinkie called them, were still hard to anticipate and thus resulted in plenty of heart-rate increases). The scientist in Twilight was both terrified and fascinated by the Necromorphs.

-_Mini-Break_-

Everyone startled as, from near the blinding light, a Javelin Round shot forth, impaling through Isaac's chest.

"_The research from that Marker is worth every life we just lost!_"

They watched as the climactic battles took place – Tiedemann's death, the reveal of the Golden Marker's true plan, Isaac's triumph over an eldritch abomination, and the halfway-through-credits surprise rescue. When the (real) credits were over, and the mysterious conversation played out, the recording of Marie's playthrough ended. Everyone got up to stretch their limbs a bit before the _GoW_ trilogy.

-_Mini-Break_-

A few sniffles could be heard from the audience as a truly heartbreaking scene played out.

"_Marcus! I-I don't know what to do! I don't know what to do, man! I…_"

"_Dom… It's okay…_"

All eyes were at least misty as the events rolled forward, and that only increased when Dom's solutions to his wife's suffering became visible.

"_I love you… so much…_"

When the single gunshot rang out, Rarity and Fluttershy were openly weeping, and everyone else was in not much better shape. So it was with grim satisfaction that, when presented the opportunity to sneak into the enemy capital, Dom chose the "kill 'em all" option instead.

-_Mini-Break_-

Rainbow Dash loved seeing the player-controlled Brumak putting the fear of God into the puny Locust Horde. She loved even more the city-shatteringly-large explosion that GOW2 ended with.

"Marie…" she muttered. "You have incredibly awesome taste in entertainment."

-_Mini-Break_-

"_Dom! Dom, where are you going?-!_"

"Why's he… running away?" Spike asked.

As the commandeered truck sped down the tunnel, a look of horrified realization came upon Trixie's face. "H-He's not running away" she said. "He's… g-getting distance."

"For what?" Fluttershy asked, confused and worried.

A look very much like Trixie's formed on AJ's face. "Oh no… No…"

The truck reached its end point and spun around.

"_Dom, what the fuck are you doing?-!_"

"_Pulling the plug on 'em, Marcus! Jump, will ya?-! DO IT!-!_"

And as he floored the accelerator, slowly everyone else in the room, with sadness and horror, realized what was coming.

"Jump out…" Pinkie Pie whimpered, her mane & tail slowly flattening. "Jump out already…"

"_Never thought it would end like this! Huh, Maria?-!_"

"Please jump out…"

And it became abundantly clear that he wasn't going to.

"_Dom! NO!-!_"

No-one amongst the audience could say anything after the final impact. As the slow, mournful music played amongst the muffled, muted sounds of explosions, there wasn't a dry eye in the building.

-_Mini-Break_-

"_What's left, Anya? What have we got left now?_"

"…_Tomorrow, Marcus! We've finally got a tomorrow!_"

And with that, the show reached its climax. After the screen faded to black and the music died away, the recording came to its end. Marie flew up to the front of the room, standing before everyone.

"Well?" she asked.

"That was… _incredible_…" Rarity said with a tremor in her voice, wiping a tear from her eye. "I'd always thought that the blood-and-action stories could never have depth, but the things you've shown us… Such _emotion_..."

Rainbow Dash fluttered a few feet off the ground from sheer exuberance. "I laughed! I cheered! I screamed! I wept! The word 'awesome' does not do it all justice!"

The others made their approval known.

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Ponyville Mental Health Facility – Teal Ward Rec Room**

**Same Day – 5:45 PM**

Filthy Rich smiled as she watched her (mostly) sane wife interacting with their daughter. All this time, he'd stayed away from this place because he didn't want to see what his wife had been reduced to, and in the process he'd missed her recovery until it was almost complete. She had forgiven him, but he'd still yet to forgive himself, both for neglecting her and for failing to notice their daughter's issues. The idea that the crimson unicorn Teana had come up with, that his wife had some sort of covert combat experience, had been both shocking and – now that he looked at the bits of subtle evidence – made a fair deal of sense. It would certainly explain a few things…

One of the orderlies came into the room. "Ma'am? You have another visitor."

Filthy Rich turned to see as a male unicorn entered the room; his fur was a pale purple, slightly darker than Twilight Sparkle's, while his mane & tail were a dark purple, almost black, and his Mark was of an odd-colored little flame. Upon seeing him, Golden Tiara's eyes lit up.

"Indie! Brother!"

"Goldie!" he replied happily. "You're all better!"

The two ran up to each other and embraced.

"Not 100% better yet, brother, but close to it" GT explained.

"That's still a hell of a lot better than the last time I saw you, sis" he replied.

"Oh, meet my family! This is my husband Filthy Rich, and our daughter Diamond Tiara! Honey, Diamond, this is my fraternal twin brother Indigo Ember."

"…You never mentioned you had a unicorn brother" Filthy Rich said.

"You… never asked?"

"Our mom was an Earth Pony and our dad was a unicorn" Indigo explained.

"…Was?" Diamond Tiara asked.

The reunited siblings' expressions fell. "They were both killed in an accident when we were six" Golden replied. "A family friend took us in and raised us after that."

Diamond felt a hint of sadness at realizing she'd never get to meet her maternal grandparents.

"So this little princess is my niece, eh?" Indigo said.

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Canterlot Castle – Throne Room**

**Next Day**

The massive double-doors swung open, and the group of 17 individuals – the "Mane Six", Trixie, Gamma Team, Spike, Erika, & Timmy – walked in.

"You wanted to see us, Princess?" Twilight asked, still slightly winded.

"Yes" Celestia replied. "…Are you alright, Twilight?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just pulled a Teleport spell to bring all 17 of us from Ponyville to here, with Teana and Marie's magitech AIs helping me manipulate the mana, do the calculations, and reduce the mana cost. Even with their help, it still took a lot of effort and mana to do. …Maybe I should get a Device of my own…"

"That's actually a good idea" Celestia said. "Your magical reserves are tremendous, Twilight, but your fine control over large amounts of mana is… a tad lacking. A Device could help you with that."

"Rarity has good enough control that she could probably pull it off _without_ extra help…" Teana said offhandedly.

"Yes," Celestia replied, "but she presently lacks the energy reserves necessary to safely pull off a Group Teleport spell of such magnitude and range without overexerting herself to the point of harm."

Rarity looked rather downcast at hearing this.

"Oh, don't worry, Rarity. You're only 21; you've plenty of time to increase your reserves through training."

"What did you summon us here for, milady?" Teana asked.

"I've got bad news and good news" Celestia reported. "The bad news is, we've recently confirmed sightings of dark entities that match your descriptions of the beings called Unversed, along with what your Device's files identify as Type-G Demons. So far, they've been small and out-of-the-way, and there have yet to be any Equestrian casualties thanks to your intelligence on fighting them. But the fact remains that your enemy's forces have been sighted.

"The good news, however, is that you will now have some help in dealing with this threat. I have informed the members of Project Corona as to the nature of the force that threatens Equestria."

"Project Corona?" Shion asked. "What's that?"

"Project Corona is a covert special-ops group in service to Equestria" Twilight replied. "I… don't know any more than that, I'm afraid."

"Centuries ago," Celestia explained, "this world was gripped by strife – Nightmare and Discordian cultists, extremist factions, terrorists, rogue holdouts from wars, pirates, and other threats. Our armed forces could stand against mainstream threats, enemy armies, but no-one could be sent in to root out numerically-smaller threats, destabilize hostile operations, and other such precision operations, at least without unacceptable fatality counts and collateral damage.

"To correct this, I formed Project Corona around 250 years ago. It is a group of elite-trained ponies working together in strike teams to accomplish difficult missions to safeguard Equestria as a whole. Basically, promising individuals in any of the Equestrian Armed Forces branches – or in training to become such – are screened. A chosen few are hoof-picked by myself and the other heads of the Project. Singled out, they are given highly specialized training. If they succeed, they are offered to join Corona.

"Corona agents are given the best in technology and resources, extra-legal authority in certain matters, and a codename designation. There are never more than 24 Corona agents at any one time, each given a codename of what humans call the Greek alphabet – Alpha through Omega.

"Agents are taught to rely upon and build close ties with one another, ready to lay down their lives to defend Equestria and her interests, yet made sure not to lose what makes them who they are. They are assigned to missions based on skill-set and temperament, and cooperation and camaraderie are strongly encouraged."

"Sounds like your equivalent to the Spartans or the Freelancers" Teana remarked.

"Or the Citadel Specters…" Marie thought aloud.

"Around 30 years ago," Celestia continued, "there was a dimensional connection, which led to Project Corona gaining two new and very valuable types of asset. One was a trio of functional, orbit-capable VTOL dropships that were quickly altered to better fit pony physiology and put into service for the deployment and extraction of agents in high-priority missions, whenever possible. The other was the concept of full-body powered armor, similar in principle to what Teana was wearing in her human form that night in the Everfree Forest. I was able to magically summon the raw materials for such armor from all across this star system, and then magically craft the actual suits, which were then customized and assigned for each agent; in the event of an Agent's death or retirement, their armor is recovered, and eventually reconfigured for their eventual replacement. Each suit is stored in a subspace pocket linked to a ring or bracelet that is worn somewhere on the agent's body, being summoned or dispelled at their mental beck-&-call."

"Are there any special protocols regarding the death-in-action of Agents?" Teana asked.

"If an agent is killed in action, his or her spot remains unfilled for 20 years. If they retire early due to being too badly injured to continue active duty, the limit is 10 years. Old-age retirement sets a five-year limit."

"Any further details on those suits?" Marie asked.

"They can be made air-tight for operation in a vacuum or hazardous environment. They give some boost to strength, durability, speed, and reaction time. They have subspace storage pockets for ammunition and other things, though the pockets can't hold anything that weighs more than 60 pounds and/or is more than three feet in size; furthermore, the suits can't be returned to their own subspace stored form if they have anything stored in their 'pockets'."

"Jeez…" Ahsoka said. "I thought this world was all sunshine and rainbows. What kinda stuff could happen to necessitate such measures?"

Celestia looked a bit sad. "I truly wish this world were as peaceful as it appears to be on the surface" she said. "But there are plenty of threats facing my people, both great and small. Cultists who worship Nightmare Moon or the chaos spirit Discord; pirates; infiltrators from the dystopian Hooviets; holdouts from both sides of the Griffon Wars; even a crime syndicate or two."

"Gryphon wars?" Mai asked.

"The ponies and the gryphons have had four armed conflicts in the past 1,200 years" Twilight explained. "The First Gryphon War took place 1,250 to 1,244 years ago. It started when the chieftains of the newly-united gryphon tribes decided they wanted some of our then-young nation's territory for their own. We won. The Second Gryphon War took place 765 to 761 years ago. That one started as a regional conflict between cities and settlements along the borders between our territory and theirs, and snowballed quickly. Celestia and the gryphons' King Bronze-Wing came to a ceasefire agreement eventually.

"The Third Gryphon War took place 240 to 233 years ago. It was caused by a renegade faction of gryphons setting it up in an attempt to get rid of the current gryphon regime and take over. Things got kinda… messy."

"That was Project Corona's first major conflict" Celestia said. "They were the ones who anonymously exposed the renegades to the public eye. The war came to a screeching halt after that, and the traitors were tried and executed by the furious gryphon public."

"Then came the Fourth Gryphon War, which lasted from 46 to 44 years ago." Twilight's expression saddened. "It was also the worst conflict Equestria had ever seen, and…"

"It was caused by the gryphons' then-ruler, King Red-Claw," Celestia picked the story up, "a corrupt and power-hungry individual who saw ponies and all other quadrupedal races as biologically inferior and ordained by fate to be slaves of gryphon-kind. He was a skilled orator, and he was able to instill his twisted beliefs into many of his subjects, corrupting their patriotic fervor and whipping them up into a blood-rage. I knew another war was coming… but I was unprepared for just how bad it would be.

"Red-Claw's gryphons had little regard for civilians; wherever they went, they torched & burned, they enslaved, and they instilled terror and despair. Such was their ferocity that, were it not for the assistance from the deer of the Hooviet Empire, the zebra tribes, and a few of the dragons, Equestria could have lost most of its territory. …Eventually, though, the gryphons performed a truly unforgivable act, one that turned the tide of the war in a horrifying way. They shot down a massive airship carrying refugees, nearly all of them ponies and many of them children; the ship crashed down onto one of our more populated cities. 3,000 ponies died, including 2,200 children."

Reactions of shock ran through the listeners. "S-So… How did that change the war?" Sarah asked.

Celestia grew sad. "My subjects… did not take kindly to the Baltimare Massacre. Our ranks swelled with new enlistments, and many more ponies joined unofficially. But they were consumed by rage, fury, and hatred in response to the atrocity. Rallying behind a pegasus admiral named Blade-Wing and a Hooviet general named Zakhaev, they pushed the surprised gryphons back, out of our territory, and then pursued them deep into the heart of gryphon lands. They took no prisoners. They offered no surrender. They only killed.

"And then… they reached the capital of the gryphons' land. And they _devastated_ it. Many gryphon civilians had fled to the capital in advance of the enraged pony forces, and now they had nowhere to run. My subjects… _butchered _every gryphon they could find. Buildings were burned down, often with gryphons locked inside them. Soldiers, civilians, _chicks_… no-one was spared. They stormed Red-Claw's castle, slaughtered everyone in their way, and literally tore him limb from limb. Then they started making their way out of the capital, and their goal was made horrifyingly clear:

"To ensure that this could never happen again, they meant to render the gryphons extinct.

"Enough was enough. To stop genocide from occurring, I stepped in personally to stop my maddened subjects. When I ordered them all to stand down, some did not; instead, they attacked those who did, as well as myself. They also redoubled their efforts against the broken and terrified gryphons. I… had no other choice. To protect the gryphons from annihilation, I… h-had to kill a number of my own lost-to-insane-rage subjects.

"After the dust had settled, cleanup began. The gryphons were under my jurisdiction for six years, until a new ruler – King Black-Down, who still rules them today – was found and instated. The pony population took 15 years to recover from the war; the gryphons' population… still hasn't recovered. …That war was one of the darkest periods in pony history, especially since rather than a force from without, such as the Windigos, Discord, or Nightmare Moon, this time my ponies were threatened by the darkness of their own hearts. It is… one of the greatest shames of our people."

The girls were silent as they processed all this. For an entire people to lose themselves to rage…

"Um…" Teana started, aiming to change to a less depressing subject. "Ma'am? Regarding Project Corona… We recently met a woman who, I could tell, has some form of combat experience, and when asked she was rather vague about it, and her husband had no idea. Did Corona have an agent whose real name was Golden Tiara?"

Celestia's eyes widened. "You met Agent Gamma?" she asked. "How is she? I've been meaning to visit her, but…"

Kaede smiled. "She's almost completely recovered from… whatever happened to her. She should be fit for release in less than half a year."

Celestia sighed. "Oh, thank goodness. That mare is one of the nicest ponies I know… as well as one of Corona's best, most skilled and accomplished agents. Quite the impressive record on that one… How's her little daughter doing?"

"Um, t-that's kind of a long story" Erika said.

"Well, I don't really have anything else to do at the moment. Hit me."

**-**_**SCENE-BREAK**_**-**

**Ponyville**

**Next Day**

Marie watched as a two-female couple – a mint-green unicorn and an earth pony with multicolored mane – walked by. "Hey, Twilight?" she asked. "What's the sexuality percentage-ratio-thing among ponies?"

"Huh?" Twilight perked up. "Well, for stallions, about 78% are straight, 13% are gay, and the remaining 9% are bisexual. For mares, about 85% are bisexual to varying degrees, 10% are completely straight with no interest in mares, and 5% are fully lesbian with no interest in stallions. …Why?"

"It seems to be… really well tolerated here."

Twilight looked confused. "Why wouldn't it be?"

"Well… In Teana's culture, on Midchilda, it's perfectly accepted, just like here; same for Ahsoka's culture. But… not all of Earth's cultures accept homosexuality. On one end of the scale, you have people who, as Cadence put it, "love and tolerate". On the other end… you have religious fundamentalists and folks like that who see it as inherently sinful and abominable. Homosexuals have been bullied to suicide or even murdered because of what they are… When I was little, my big-brother figure Mick was one of them. A few countries even have homosexuality as a capital offense punishable by execution."

Twilight, Rarity, and Fluttershy (the others were elsewhere) were utterly horrified, such as to be unable to form a coherent sentence. Among the ponies of Equestria, sexuality was seen as just another something that defined someone, like eye color, height, and subspecies. To know that some humans actually insulted, attacked, and even _murdered_ their own people just because of what gender they felt attracted to was…

"Sickening…" Rarity muttered. "Simply…"

"Yeah…" Marie said sadly. "When my surrogate big bro, who was one of the kindest, smartest, most understanding people you could ever meet, offed himself because of what people said and did to him, I… well, I'll admit that I pretty much lost faith in humanity as a species. It took meeting Teana, seeing that the Midchildans and the UNSC and all our other friends we've met across the stars accepted it as no big deal, for me to regain that faith."

She felt Fluttershy's comforting hoof on her shoulder, and nodded in thanks.

"So…" she perked up. "Shall we go see the Crusaders' performance in the talent show?"

**-**_**CHAPTER END**_**-**

Next Time: a flashback chapter showing some of Agent Gamma's exploits with Project Corona


	7. Corona

**I'm gonna say something now: **contrary to some pics' treatment of Equestria's military capacity, the Equestrian Armed Forces of my 'verse have weapons tech on par with modern Earth's in most fields (including infantry weapons); their frequent armed conflicts with the gryphons, as well as with other threats like dangerous beasts, cultists, and recently the Hooviets, have necessitated weapons tech's advancement, especially as a result of frequent Arms Races with the gryphons.

Also: sorry for the wait. Big chapter, playthroughs of _Dead Space 2 _(in preparation for _DS3_'s upcoming release) and _Pokémon Black _(because hey, why not?), and writer's block.

**PLEASE SEE CHAPTER ONE FOR MOST DISCLAIMERS**

PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE & CHARACTER PAGES

**-**_**CHAPTER START**_**-**

**Project Corona Headquarters – Just Outside Canterlot**

**11 Years Ago**

The 21-year-old young mare named Golden Tiara relaxed on one of the couches in the lounge of the base. In the two years since she and her brother were inducted into Project Corona, they'd participated in six major missions (four against gryphon pirates and two against Nightmare Cultists) and a handful of "lesser" ones, spending most of the rest of their time training. One of the biggest benefits Golden Tiara was reaping from her time with Corona was that she received training on how to better access and control her mysterious power.

Golden Tiara reached a hoof out toward a comic book halfway across the room. Her body was wreathed in a faint green energy that was concentrated around the hoof, her eyes glowing green. She moved her limb, and the book was 'pulled' to her. She dispelled her power and started reading.

From what Celestia could tell and had thus told her, her & Indigo Ember's mother had been exposed to some sort of substance while pregnant with the two of them. Indigo had been unaffected, but Golden had been altered by the substance, as it merged with her body, forming 'nodules' spread throughout her body, linked to her nervous system. There were, strangely, no adverse effects (well, besides that using her odd power made her rather hungry), and it somehow allowed her to manipulate gravity and mass in certain ways. It had come in handy a few times growing up; after being inducted into Corona and properly trained, helped to better control it, it had become invaluable.

"Goldie?"

She turned her head away from Spider-Stallion's fight against The Buzzard, finding her twin standing there, grinning.

"Better finish up, sis" Indigo Ember said. "The Bosses want us for a mission debriefing in 15 minutes. We're going out."

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Project Corona Deployment/Extraction VTOL Aircraft #2, Designate Echo-589**

**Catacomb Mountain (35 minutes' flight from Capital Mountain)**

**Same Day – Sunset**

Tiara felt what she could only describe as "relaxed excitement" as the dropship neared their objective. A team consisting of her and a few other Agents were to infiltrate the caverns inside the aptly-named Catacomb Mountain. Recent events had confirmed it to be the sight of a Shadow Slasher nest. Shadow Slashers were vicious creatures of Darkness, created by some dark mage hundreds of years ago and continuing long after his death. They preyed upon the mana and life-force of living things, and also fed on the ambient magic near planetary magical nexuses. They were self-replicating to some degree; Celestia had made many attempts to wipe them out over the centuries, to no avail, and cullings of their numbers were somewhat frequent, especially when they nested near populated areas.

Golden Tiara looked down at herself, clad head to tail in her powered armor – a pinkish-purple color, with deep-green bits here & there, a green visor providing a HUD to her eyes, and on the armor's flanks was a large, bright-green "Γ". She was Agent Gamma, and she was second-in-command for this op. She looked out at her squadmates. Her brother Indigo sat next to her, the unicorn clad in dark-purple armor with deep-blue portions, and a big blue "X" on his armor's flanks – Agent Chi. Across from them sat one of Golden's closest friends: the pegasus named Azure Feather. She had light-blue fur and a white mane & tail with a single black streak. She was wearing aqua-colored armor with off-white bits, and on her armor's flanks was a big white "O" – Agent Omicron. "Azzy" was fun-loving, a little tomboyish, loved to party, and she & Golden were as close as sisters.

Next was Sandtail, an Earth Pony mare with tan fur and dull-brown mane & tail; she was wearing light-brown armor with black bits, and on her armor's flanks was a big charcoal-colored "Θ" – Agent Theta. Sandtail, or "Sandy", was a bit stuffy, and tended to ramble on about boring stuff, but she had a good heart, and contrary to what some thought, she _did_ have a (rather dry) sense of humor. Then came Cooled Sunbeam, a unicorn stallion with dull-green fur and dull-orange mane & tail, presently clad in red-orange armor with yellow bits, a large green "Ψ" on his armor's flanks – Agent Psi. Sunbeam was another of Golden Tiara's "precious ponies" – they were very close, and there were the stirrings of what could be more than friendship between them.

Last was Steely Stare, a rather large and muscled Earth Pony stallion, with dull-grey fur and lighter-grey mane & tail; he was wearing white armor with orange bits, and his armor's flanks bore a big black "Σ" – Agent Sigma. Stare was a very quiet pony; he hardly ever spoke, and when he did it was short and to-the-point. Golden could swear she'd heard him say maybe eight or ten words since she first met him. His rarely-heard voice was deep and gruff, almost growling, which added to his intimidating appearance. He was very strong and durable, even for an Earth Pony, and he could get rather… brutal in a fight. Nonetheless, he was also fiercely loyal to those who'd earned his trust, and would stop at nothing to see a mission through.

The dropship soared amongst the mountains, and soon arrived at its destination. A small (around 80 feet), relatively flat part of the mountain had a cave entrance. The VTOL aircraft slowed to a halt and swung around, so the rear hatch was about 10 feet directly above the natural platform of rock. The hatch opened, and the six-pony team easily made the jump.

"_Away team, we'll set down on the next hill and keep our ears open for ya_" the pilot reported via their helmet comms.

"Copy that, pilot" Agent Psi replied. "Be advised, though: once we get in deep, communications will probably drop."

"_Understood. Good hunting._"

As the dropship flew away, the assault team entered the cave. Each of them readied their forelimb-mounted weapons – Gamma and Omicron had submachine guns, Chi and Psi had marksman rifles, Theta had an assault rifle, and Sigma wielded a shotgun. They advanced through the presently-empty cavern, the light of the setting sun fading behind them; they activated their helmet's built-in flashlights. Sigma took the lead, while Theta covered the rear. Their footsteps echoed through the cave as they cautiously progressed deeper in.

A few minutes in, they heard a snarl, but were unable to tell where it came from. They readied themselves, looking all around. Suddenly, something dropped from the ceiling, landing amongst the group. It was around six feet tall, with long, thin arms that ended in huge claws, and its entire body was pure black except for its glowing red eyes. It hissed, revealing a mouth that was just one big, glowing-red maw rimmed by sharp triangular teeth. Before it could do anything, a blast from Steely Stare's shotgun took it down.

"Well, at least we know we're in the right place" Cooled Sunbeam said as he watched the Shadow Slasher's body disintegrate into particles of Darkness and fade away.

The team moved on, wary of further ambush attempts. They soon acquired a new source of light in the form of luminescent crystals growing from the floor, ceiling, and walls here & there, bathing everything in cool blue light. Agent Psi used a Scanning Spell on them, finding them to be filled with raw planetary mana.

"They could be using these crystals as a food source…" he muttered.

As the team reached a wider chamber, there was a screeching howl as a pack of eight Shadow Slashers suddenly ran in from the passage ahead. Golden Tiara lashed out with a tightly-focused shockwave of her power which knocked three of them backward, while Theta and Chi opened fire, destroying two more. Agent Sigma calmly walked toward them, firing his shotgun to kill one, and caught the punch of another; he then dealt his own forelimb strike that caved the dark creature's chest in and sent it flying back into the wall. Psi and Gamma then took down three more. The last one tried to retreat, only for Omicron to tackle it to the ground and unload a dozen rounds into the back of its head.

The next 40 minutes went much the same way: stalking through corridors and fending off occasional ambushes which were slowly growing in intensity. By the time they neared the deep heart of the caverns, they were under near-constant assault. Finally, though, they reached the deepest, very large central chamber of the mountain… and bit back gasps as they saw what was already there.

The cavern was full of those mana-laced crystals. And the walls and ceiling were crowded with dozens upon dozens of slumbering Shadow Slashers.

"There's enough of these things to wipe out half of Canterlot…" Sandtail breathed out.

"Look there" Indigo Ember gestured to a large black swirling thing on the bottom of the chamber. "That's a spawning pool. My guess it's built atop and tapped into a planetary mana nexus. …So as many as there are already, there's gonna be a lot more soon."

"They're building an army" Cooled Sunbeam said. "They've gotta be planning to attack the capital. …We need to warn Celestia; she's the only one with the magical firepower necessary to safely deal with these things before they wake up."

"Too late" Steely Stare murmured, pointing at a pack of around 20 awake Shadow Slashers coming from the side, hissing and snarling as they crawled across their sleeping fellows and towards the Corona team.

Golden Tiara lashed out, grabbing hold of one of the creatures with her powers, hoisting it into the air and then slamming it down with great force, killing it and releasing a short-range shockwave on impact that stunned three more of the creatures, allowing Indigo and Sunbeam to zap them with magic bursts. Stare dealt a few crushing blows to take down a few more Slashers, while Sandtail bucked another one hard enough to destroy it. However, she then looked at the way the team had come in.

"There's more coming behind us!" she shouted.

(MUSIC: Mass Effect 3 OST – "Aralakh Company" – 0:40 to 2:08)

The strike team now found themselves boxed in between two equally large groups of Shadow Slashers, all charging toward them.

"Weapons free!" Agent Psi shouted as he shot one between the eyes. "Gunfire won't wake a sleeping Shadow Slasher; only the call of a Slasher Alpha will!"

Agent Theta's assault rifle took down three of the Shadow Slashers charging in from the back, while Agent Sigma's shotgun tore the head off one coming from the front. Gamma used her powers to pull one through the air into a magic blast from Psi, and then another for Omicron to ventilate with her SMG. Sigma then bucked a charging Slasher so hard that it smacked into two behind it hard enough to destroy them with it. The sextet formed a circle, blasting away at any dark creatures that got within their sights.

Suddenly, Cooled Sunbeam cried out as a Shadow Slasher that had been clinging to / crawling along the ceiling dropped down on top of him, the long, sharp talons on its right hand piercing through a (relatively) weak spot on his torso armor, one of the claws sinking deep into his body, leaving a wound that began to bleed at a worrying rate. Steely Stare snarled as he blasted the offending creature with his shotgun, tearing its arm off. Its screech was cut off as he 'punched' it as hard as he could, sending it into the wall with a splat.

Golden Tiara gasped in horror at seeing her love interest wounded, and shock then turned into fury, her eyes growing bright green. She stood on her hind legs, forelimbs crossed over her chest, as her entire body glowed with power. After a few seconds, she let out a shout… and a shockwave that sent a dozen Shadow Slashers flying, killing eight of them. The others kept coming, however, and the team continued firing, but the dark creatures were now stunned and in fewer numbers, and were soon dealt with, the last falling to a shot from Psi's rifle. He then slumped to the ground, holding a hoof to his wound.

"This isn't good" Indigo Ember said. "He's gonna bleed out if we don't get him some help, and fast."

"I screwed up" Cooled Sunbeam groaned. "Shoulda been watching the ceiling."

"Keep it together, Sunny" Golden Tiara said, a slight waver in her voice. "W-We're gonna get out of here, zoom back to Canterlot, and warn Celestia about these things so she can take them out."

Azure Feather gasped as she saw something in the main chamber. "We might not get the chance" she said, pointing.

Everyone turned to look, and saw a unique-looking Shadow Slasher emerging in the center of the massive chamber. It was around eight feet tall, with a more heavily-muscled build than its counterparts, a pair of horns on its head, and spikes growing from its forearms and elbows. And it was looking right at the Corona team. It reared its head back, and let out a loud, echoing howl. In response, the hundreds of dormant Slashers began to stir.

"Run" Agent Psi said.

The group immediately turned tail and ran, Indigo supporting/half-carrying Sunbeam, with Azure and Golden providing suppressive fire to try and keep the Slashers' heads down. They retreated as fast as they could, fighting through Shadow Slashers that tried to ambush them as they gradually made their way up & out of the mountain. As they reached a large (though not as much as the central) chamber, however, Cooled Sunbeam collapsed, coughing and holding a hoof to his wound.

"W-We're not gonna make it at this rate" he gasped out.

"Don't you dare say that!" Golden Tiara said. "We _can_ make it!"

Sunbeam shook his head, and reached up to remove his helmet. "I'm losing too much blood" he said. "And besides… even if we make it out… by the time we get the warning to the higher-ups, those things will have reached the capital by the time a response can be put together. We need to take them out here and now."

"We don't have anything that can do that" Azure Feather said. "There must be nearly 200 of those things in these caves!"

"There is one thing" Cooled Sunbeam said. "A mana bomb."

The others gasped lightly. The mana bomb was one of Equestria's most powerful weapons, yet also its most specialized. It was a unique magitech weapon that unleashed a massive wave of raw mana. It had little to no effect against most living beings, but was devastating against magical constructs, like Star-Beasts and Shadow Slashers. One could be set off to wipe out an entire horde of Shadow Slashers or heavily wound an Ursa Major while leaving the ponies being attacked by them unharmed.

"We don't have one with us, in case you haven't noticed, sir" Sandtail said.

"No we don't," he replied, "but I can duplicate the effects of one… if I trigger a Mana Core Transition Explosion – take my Mana Core, overload and release it, converting the energy of my body into a wave of mana."

(MUSIC: 2:09 to END)

Golden Tiara removed her helmet. "No… Sunbeam, if you do that you'll die!"

He coughed. "I'm already going to die, Goldie. I've lost too much blood. Besides, if I don't, those things will get loose and devastate Capitol Mountain."

"Boss, t-there's gotta be another way…" Indigo Ember said.

"There isn't, Indie. This is our only choice. …Remember that part of the oath we took: defend Equestria and its citizens no matter the cost."

Tiara ran up to him, tears building in her eyes. "I can't lose you!" she said. "Please… don't do this…"

Sunbeam closed his eyes as a calm smile formed on his face. "Goldie… I'm sorry. I have to do this, for your sake… for _everyone's_ sake." A turquoise glow was visible from within the holes in his armor, coming from within his body, faint at first but slowly growing in brightness. "It's already done."

"No…" she whimpered.

He leaned forward and kissed her. She could taste his blood. "Go" he said. "Find somepony who'll make you happy. …I'm so proud to have served with you" He turned to the others. "With all of you…"

There was a howl from the tunnels behind, as the Shadow Slasher horde grew nearer.

"Go!" Sunbeam ordered. "I'll deal with them!"

Reluctantly, the others stepped back, Azure pulling Golden away. Steely Stare depolarized his visor, meeting eyes with Sunbeam. He nodded and then saluted, and then turned and ran with the others. Cooled Sunbeam, Agent Psi, readied his rifle. The horde poured in, and he began firing, taking them down as quick as he could, but it seemed that for each one that fell three more took its place. A seemingly endless wave of the dark creatures rushed into the room from several directions, all focusing on the lone, defiant, dying pony that stood between them and freedom. The Slasher Alpha emerged, rushing at Sunbeam, who now had a plainly visible turquoise glow of energy from within his wounds and from his eyes.

As he felt his final seconds passing, saw his body slowly becoming transparent around an ever-brightening point of light, Cooled Sunbeam rushed at the Alpha, tackling it. Then, with a blinding flash of light, Cooled Sunbeam ceased to exist. His body and his Mana/Linker Core transformed into a huge, rapidly-expanding sphere of light that engulfed the Shadow Slashers, which were all utterly annihilated instantly. The wave raced out through the mountain, smashing through the breeding chamber and destroying the spawning pool and the Slashers still there. The fleeing team neared the cave exit, seeing moonlight and hearing Slashers pursuing them, when suddenly the wave passed over them, leaving them untouched while obliterating the dark creatures on their heels. Golden Tiara shed a tear as she felt Sunbeam's magical energy signature one last time.

The dropship was there in seconds, and soon the surviving team was on its way back to Canterlot.

"_This is Dropship Echo-589 calling Castle Base_" the pilot said over the comm.

"_Roger, 589, this is Digamma_" Celestia's voice replied.

"_Mission accomplished. Returning home with five souls onboard._"

"_Five? Please clarify._"

"_Agent Psi is KIA, ma'am._"

There was a long pause. "_I… I see… I'll debrief the... rest of the team later. Bring them home for now. I will… prepare to inform Cooled Sunbeam's family._"

"_Copy that. 589 out_."

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Six Years Ago (Five Years After Previous Record)**

Golden Tiara Rich entered the armory at a leisurely pace, ready to arm up for the mission she'd just been assigned to. She walked over to her locker, opening it and smiling at the pictures on the inside of the door: her marrying Filthy Rich three years ago, her holding the newborn Diamond Tiara half a year after that, and a recent picture from her most recent four-month stay at home, with the now-three-year-old little filly happily sitting on her back as she and her husband posed for the camera.

There was also a picture of her and her husband chasing off that rude journalist who'd made a few inaccurate assumptions and said some rather insulting things because of them; Golden Tiara had only found out that Filthy Rich was, well, filthy rich _after_ she'd already fallen in love with him. Filthy hadn't taken well the accusations that his wife was a greedy gold-digger.

"Hello, ma'am!" a cheery voice said from nearby.

Golden Tiara turned, and caught sight of the excitable young Earth Pony stallion: Bronze Blitz. He had bronze-colored fur and a dark-brown mane & tail, a Cutie Mark of a pair of camouflaged binoculars (his Special Talent was scouting, of all forms), and a spark in his blue eyes. He was 19 to her 26, and she had essentially taken him in as a mentor and big-sister figure, which he'd quickly grown comfortable with. He looked up to her, and was always trying to make her proud. He was a tad reckless and impatient, but he had a good head on his shoulders all the same. And damn, was he quick on his feet; his agility and running speed were superb. His locker, next to hers, bore a big, tan-colored "Φ" – Agent Phi.

"Hey, Blitz" she said. "Ready for our next op?"

"You bet, ma'am!" he said with an excited smile. "Extremist holdouts from the Fourth Gryphon War, right?"

"That's right" Indigo Ember said as he walked in. "A bunch of Blade-Wing's gryphon-extinction-wanting followers, along with a hefty dose of mercs and pirates as hired guns. They're planning a terrorist attack on the Armistice Day parade in the mainly-gryphon city of Wingcinatti. So you, me, Goldie here, and Agents Omicron, Sigma, Pi, and Upsilon are gonna go in and stop 'em."

"Our target, their leader, is this bastard right here" Golden Tiara said as she pulled out a file, opening it to reveal a picture of a pegasus stallion with dark-grey fur, white mane & tail, only one wing, and a face bearing the scars from a gryphon's talons. "This is Steel-Hoof, one of Blade-Wing's nephews. He's got a load of bad guys for us to fight under his command, and every one of them is as nuts as him, filled with hatred of gryphons and of Celestia and her supporters. Lethal force is authorized. Are you ready for that, kid?"

Bronze Blitz nodded, a serious expression on his face. "I'll do what's necessary to protect innocent lives, ma'am. That includes killing bad guys so they can't hurt civilians in the future."

Tiara nodded. "Arm up, Blitz. We leave in an hour."

-_Mini-Break_-

(MUSIC: _Red vs. Blue Season 9 OST _– "Pelican Cruise / Infiltration")

The two chariots, pulled by disguised Equestrian Air Force personnel, soared over the streets of Wingcinatti, flying between the tall buildings that the gryphons tended to favor – multi-story offices and apartment complexes, mostly. The city was home to a good-sized pony population alongside the gryphon majority, so earth ponies and pegasi could be seen out & about. Gamma, Chi, and Sigma rode in one chariot. Gamma looked over at the other one. Phi, his bronze armor shining in the evening sun, was riding with two other ponies; the first was a unicorn mare wearing white armor with blue bits, and had a big blue "Π" on the side – Agent Pi, Crystal Shard. The other was an Earth Pony stallion in gray armor with purple bits, a big purple "Y" on the armor's flanks – Agent Upsilon, Silent Stride. Lastly, Agent Omicron, being the only pegasus of the team, flew alongside the chariot carrying Gamma, Chi, and Sigma.

"Here's the plan" Gamma said over the team comm. channel. "We need to infiltrate their main facility, a 25-floor building. We've determined that Steel-Hoof is holed up somewhere between the 15th and 23rd floors. Team 1 – that's me and my group – will be inserted on the 13th, while Team 2 is placed on the roof. We'll work our way towards each other, combing each floor; if you find him, send the word. Let's try to remain undetected for as long as we can, but if our cover's blown that doesn't necessarily mean the mission's a bust. Priority number one is Steel-Hoof's assassination; whether or not he sees it coming is irrelevant so long as that goal is accomplished."

The target structure was soon in sight, an innocuous-looking office building. Team 2's chariot went up to the roof, landing so the three aboard could disembark. Team 1's flew down to beside the 13th floor, making it up close undetected, hovering beside a large window of an empty hallway. Indigo Ember carefully cut the glass with magic, making a hole big enough for the four to hop through, and then gently telekinetically set the circular piece of glass back where it was, applying a clear adhesive substance to keep it in place. There was no-one else in the hall, and Team 1 moved on.

Meanwhile, Team 2 had clandestinely entered the building, Upsilon quietly neutralizing the lone guard at the bottom of the stairs (and hiding the body) as they arrived on Floor 25. They skulked through corridors and rooms, hiding in closets or behind furniture whenever someone came along. They quickly made a sweep of the 25th floor, finding no signs of Steel-Hoof or any hints of his exact whereabouts, and made their way down to the 24th floor. Meanwhile, Team 1 had swept the 13th and 14th floors and was entering the 15th.

Team 2 reached the 23rd floor, exiting the stairwell and entering an office… and finding three hired mercenaries waiting for them. The mercs were surprised, but quickly moved to draw their weapons. The Corona agents didn't give them the chance; Phi fired a burst from his silenced SMG, taking one of them down, while Upsilon's silenced pistol took out another with two quick shots, and Pi hit the third with a Stunning Spell that left him wide open to a _coup de grace _from Phi. They policed the bodies, but found nothing useful.

"_Team 1, this is Team 2_" Agent Gamma said over the comm. "_Anything yet?_"

"Negative, ma'am" Agent Pi replied. "Nothing so far. How's it going on your end?"

"_We found their armory. Sigma's got a new gun. And we had to deal with some nut with a flamethrower._"

"_Yeah, that guy was a dick_" Agent Chi chimed in.

"_We're making our way up to the 17__th__ floor now._"

"We're on the 23rd, gonna start our sweep."

"_Roger that. Good luck._"

The two teams continued to make their way towards each other. The 23rd, 22nd, 21st, 20th, 17th, and 18th floors provided no luck, with the 18th being full of hostiles, leaving Team 1 having to move slowly to avoid detection. Finally, they met up in the stairwell at the 19th floor. Upsilon eyed Sigma's new weapon: a grenade launcher with a double-bayonet slung underneath.

"That's a good look" he said to the large, silent pony.

"This is it" Golden said. "If he's not on this floor, he's not in this building."

The seven spec-ops soldiers moved out, avoiding detection thanks in part to a curious shortage of hostiles on this floor. They soon came together near the last unchecked door, Omicron and Upsilon quietly neutralizing the two guards stationed outside it. They stacked up, and on three they breached the door, weapons raised… and came face to face with an active explosive charge which, tripped by the door opening, began a four-second countdown.

"_Did you really think I didn't know you were coming?_" an audio recording of Steel-Hoof's voice said.

Golden Tiara, thinking fast, used her powers to conjure a Barrier, just in time for the bomb to go off, devastating the room and shattering the windows. The blast knocked everyone for a loop, but the shield held off enough of the blast to protect them from serious harm. Seconds later, the next door opened, and the one-winged pegasus took off running.

(CHASE/BATTLE MUSIC: _Mass Effect 3 OST_ – "A Cerberus Agent" – 0:00 to 1:06)

"There he goes!" Crystal Shard shouted.

Bronze Blitz took off running in hot pursuit, shooting down two enemy soldiers who got in his way. The other six got to their feet as quickly as they could, but a fair number of hostiles were closing in, aimed to slow their pace. Steely Stare growled as he brought his new grenade launcher to bear, firing two high-velocity explosives that took out three enemies. Golden Tiara focused her power and created a green-tinged black sphere hovering in midair, and five enemies found themselves hoisted up by its gravity, flailing helplessly in the air. Three more shots from Sigma's grenade launcher took them all out.

Agent Phi continued chasing Steel-Hoof, never losing sight of his target for more than half a second. Any hostiles that got in his way, he stunned or killed without breaking stride. He could faintly hear the carnage behind him as the other six fought to catch up, but he couldn't slow down to wait for them, lest Steel-Hoof make his getaway. He ran up stairs after his target, gunning down anyone who tried to get in his way.

Steel-Hoof reached the roof, and made a sprint for a waiting chariot, two of his fittest men ready & waiting to pull it – and him – to safety at top speed. Suddenly, however, a few well-aimed SMG shots took them both down. Steel-Hoof skidded to a stop and spun around, finding Bronze Blitz standing there, SMG in hoof. He snarled and charged at the agent with surprising speed, using his lone wing to provide course corrections to dodge Blitz's shots. He quickly closed in, knocking Agent Phi's gun away and lashing out with a blow to the head, which Blitz blocked. Blitz then went for a hindleg kick to Steel-Hoof's left kneecap, but the old soldier dodged.

The fight continued, Steel-Hoof's strength and experience versus Bronze Blitz's speed, agility, and natural skill. The two combatants seemed evenly matched, neither able to gain an upper hand over the other. Agent Phi's visor was cracked by a blow from Steel-Hoof, and his counterattack broke something on Steel-Hoof's wing. A double-kick from Steel-Hoof cracked Phi's torso armor and two of his ribs, and a one-two blow from Blitz injured Steel-Hoof's back. Both dealt and took blows, and neither gave in.

"I'm not letting you get away!" Blitz shouted as he tackled Steel-Hoof, the two rolling along the roof while punching each other. They broke apart and rolled to a stop, panting.

"You're certainly impressive, boy" Steel-Hoof said. "But things end here."

"The only one ending here is you!" Blitz shouted as he charged.

The door to below could be heard opening, but the other six Corona operatives were helpless to stop what happened next. Steel-Hoof smirked, dodging Blitz's attack… and picking up Blitz's discarded SMG, which he'd landed beside after the rolling tussle a minute earlier. Blitz barely had time for his eyes to widen before the weapon was fired point-blank, several rounds penetrating his damaged armor and tearing through his body. Steel-Hoof followed up with a leg-sweep that knocked Blitz onto his back, and then a two-hoof stomp down onto his torso.

There was a wordless cry of fury, and Steel-Hoof suddenly felt himself enveloped in ever-tightening pressure, a green glow grabbing his body. He saw the purple-armored Corona agent, her hooves glowing green and a green glow coming from behind her visor. Golden Tiara hoisted Steel-Hoof high, and then slammed him down onto the roof hard enough to crack the concrete. She then slammed him into a wall with bone-crushing force, and then slammed him down again head-first, cracking his skull like an egg and killing him instantly. She left the body where it lay and ran over to Blitz's side, finding him letting out ragged gasps for breath, blood pooling beneath him.

(MUSIC: 1:07 to END)

"This is Agent Gamma to Dropship Echo-589!" she shouted into the comm. "Target is terminated, but we have an Agent down! We need _immediate_ extraction and medical attention!"

"_Solid copy, Gamma. Echo-589 inbound._"

"Ma'am…" Bronze Blitz rasped out.

"Don't talk, Blitz" she said. "Stay awake! You're gonna be alright, the ship's coming. Just stay with us, alright?"

There was a bang as Steely Stare used his grenade launcher to take out a pair of Steel-Hoof's men who came up the stairs. Upsilon and Chi joined him in covering the door. Soon, Echo-589 soared in, VTOL jets firing as it swung around and touched down on the roof. Pi and Gamma carried Chi aboard, with the other agents following. The hatch closed, and the aircraft took off, engines at full throttle.

-_Mini-Break_-

(MUSIC: _Mass Effect 3 OST _– "I'm Proud of You")

The dark passenger compartment of the dropship, lit up by faint blue lights, was a flurry of activity, as the agents frantically tried to keep their wounded member alive. Bronze Blitz' armor had been removed, and his blood now stained the fold-out table he'd been placed on. They were doing everything they could. But it was a losing battle.

"Ms. Tiara…" he rasped out.

"I'm right here, Bronze" she replied, holding his forehoof. "Stay awake, kid. Come on."

"Did… Did we get him?"

She forced a smile. "Yeah. Yeah, we got him. You held him off long enough for us to catch up and take him out."

He smiled. "So I did do some good. Are you… proud of me now…?"

"Yeah" she nodded, choking up. "We're all proud of you, Blitz. We succeeded, thanks to you. You've done us all proud."

His smile got a bit bigger, as his eyes started to close. "That's good" he whispered. "T-Thank you… ma'am…"

"Blitz… H-Hey, c'mon Blitz, stay awake!"

"Thank… y…"

"C-Come on, Blitz! Stay with me! Stay…"

She stopped as she saw his eyes close, felt his hoof go limp, heard him let out his last breath. She stared for several seconds, unmoving, silent, unwilling to accept it. Then, her tears began to fall. She slowly rested her forehead on his hoof, weeping softly, barely aware of Azure Feather's wing going around her, holding her close.

The mission had been accomplished, but at a price that none of them felt was worth it.

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**4 Years Ago (Two Years After Previous Record)**

Golden Tiara, Agent Gamma, kept her eyes peeled as she walked down the path. She, Chi, Omicron, Sigma, and Theta were presently serving as armed escort for a dignitary from Neighpon. He was accompanied by a long hand-picked bodyguard: an unassuming unicorn stallion with grey fur and black mane & tail, who the dignitary introduced as Kurosuke. Golden Tiara could tell that this 'Kurosuke' was, in fact, much more formidable and skilled than appearance suggested; he was just as alert as the Corona agents, though he hid it, his grey eyes darting to & fro as they moved, and she could faintly make out concealed weapons in the clothing he wore. It was likely that he was one of Neighpon's elite "Shinobi" special-ops soldiers.

For the entirety of the dignitary's presence within the country's borders, he and his bodyguard were escorted by four or five Corona agents. Tiara's group was in charge of bringing him from Trottingham to just outside Ponyville, where Agents Alpha, Beta, Epsilon, and Omega would bring them to Canterlot and to the castle. Right now, they were traveling around the edge of Everfree Forest, about 25 minutes from Ponyville. Things had been quiet so far, the setting sun casting everything in an orange glow.

"Less than half an hour to go before we hit the next exchange point, sir" Agent Gamma said.

"Good" the old dignitary said as he walked along, surprisingly keeping pace with the younger ponies. "Very good. I am thankful that this visit has not been _too_ exciting."

"Yet" Agent Chi added. "Best not jinx us, sir."

The old dignitary chuckled. "Of course."

Suddenly, a figure leapt down from the nearby trees, landing in the group's path in the middle of the old dirt trail. It looked to be an Earth Pony stallion, his body hidden in a black robe, with a hood over his head; there was a faint trace of dull orange underneath the hood, and the group quickly realized he was wearing a mask. Everyone went on guard, readying themselves.

"Identify yourself!" Gamma ordered.

"Impressive discipline, all of you" the masked stallion said. "I feel that killing my target will be more difficult than I had anticipated."

"Who sent you?" Theta asked.

"I work alone. Or rather, I am the leader of the organization I belong to."

"Whatever your deal is, we won't let you kill the dignitary!" Omicron shouted.

The masked stallion chuckled. "Did I ever say that the old man was the one I'm after?"

He then disappeared, and the Corona agents' heads turned as they caught sight of the figure with a _kunai_ in his hoofs, locking blades with Kurosuke.

"Impressive" the masked man said. "How long have you been in this transformed state to become so comfortable and fast in it?"

"Who are you?" the shinobi stallion asked. "What quarrel do you have with me?"

"I'm forming a… collection of sorts. It took a while to track you down to this realm. You have something that I want… Uchiha Kurosuke."

The gray stallion's eyes widened. 'How does he know me?' he thought. Then he gasped as he caught sight of what was visible behind the single eye-hole of his attacker's mask. 'Who is he?-!'

The masked stallion suddenly leapt away, barely dodging a high-speed aerial tackle from Azure Feather. He stood his ground as Steely Stare lashed out with a running kick… and phased right through the masked figure like he wasn't there. Milliseconds after Stare cleared the mysterious foe, the masked figure lashed out with a kick to the departing stallion, sending him rocketing into a tree.

"Yes…" the masked stallion said as he looked into Kurosuke's now-red eyes. "Those eyes of yours shall join those of our clansmen in my collection."

Kurosuke's expression hardened. "So you're a rogue member of the clan…"

Before either of them could do or say anything more, a pulse of green energy knocked the masked stallion over. Agent Gamma then hoisted him up with her power, and slammed him against a tree, the wood splintering. She then launched him into the forest as hard as she could. She stood there, panting lightly, looking out at where she'd thrown him… and a blur of motion was the only warning she got before a kick shattered her helmet's visor. She was stunned, though as she opened her eyes she realized they were unharmed. However, she was not face to face with the masked stallion, and the lone eye visible through his mask was closed.

"Don't get in my way" he said.

His eye snapped open, and a flash of red was the last thing Golden Tiara remembered.

(CUT TO: A picture of a brain. The picture abruptly shatters into multiple pieces)

As they saw Golden Tiara drop to the ground like a strings-cut puppet, the other Corona agents opened fire with their weapons, only for the bullets to phase through the mysterious enemy. He then rushed at Kurosuke, landing a hit that sent him flying into the forest, the masked stallion leaping in after him. Soon, the sounds of combat could be heard.

"Goldie!"

Indigo Ember rushed to his sister's side, finding her alive but unconscious and unresponsive. What was worse, this close he could sense her brain chemistry being terribly out of whack. Whatever that masked figure had done to her had damaged her mind.

"Omicron! Fly to the castle, best speed! Theta, stay with the dignitary! Sigma, you… Sigma?"

A few minutes later, the masked figure stood before his now-deceased opponent. Kurosuke Uchiha's in-depth transformation technique faded, returning his corpse to its natural, human form. Seconds later, it vanished, sucked up into the pocket dimension of _Kamui_.

"I'd best take my leave now" the figure murmured to himself.

He started walking, heading for that old castle built atop a planetary mana nexus, where he could use his translocation technique to return to his realm. However, as he entered a clearing, he found someone waiting for him: a large, white-armored pony, who let out a low snarl.

"Do you honestly believe you'll fare better than your comrade?" the masked stallion asked.

Agent Sigma said nothing, only glaring at him through the one-way visor. He drew his grenade launcher, the twin bayonets glimmering in the setting sun's light. The masked figure chuckled, and then rushed forward, drawing a chain and holding it behind him in his forehooves as he ran on his hind limbs. Rounds from Sigma's weapon phased through him, exploding against the ground behind him. As he got in close, he phased straight through Sigma… and solidified a split-second later, allowing his now-solid chain to catch Sigma in the upper chest, knocking him over and actually denting the armor.

"Too easy" the figure said as he began to walk away… only to instinctively dodge out of the way of a blow that was powerful enough that it would've not only snapped his neck, but taken his head off if it had connected. Slightly surprised, he saw as Steely Stare got back on his feet, growling. Another kick, and the masked figure leapt back, landing a few meters away. He then readied his chains and charged again. Sigma stood his ground, not firing his grenade launcher, taking an odd position. As the masked figure got close, he phased through Sigma's punch… and the perfectly-positioned backward swing of the launcher's bayonets cleaved his now-solid right arm off at the elbow, his chain flying off.

The masked stallion growled with pain and anger as his limb fell to the ground, something that was definitely _not_ blood leaking from the severed appendage and from what remained of his arm.

"You have to solidify to attack" Sigma said in his deep, rough voice. "That's your moment of weakness."

"Hmph… You're smarter than I gave you credit for."

"Heard that before" Sigma replied as he readied his weapon.

The masked stallion stood his ground… and then the air around him began to ripple, visibly distorting in a spiral pattern. Sigma, acting fast, fired his grenade launcher, only for the rounds to phase through as the enemy's body seemed to disappear into his right eye. A minute later, he reappeared in the old castle, a good ways away from the angry Agent. He was home free… for now.

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

Celestia determined that Golden Tiara's mind had been badly damaged by the mysterious enemy's attack. She was admitted to Ponyville's Mental Health Facility, so she could be near her family. However, a pony's mind is made of tough stuff. Celestia knew that, though it may take years, Golden's mind would manage to repair itself eventually, and she eagerly awaited that day…

**-**_**CHAPTER END**_**-**

Next Time: back to the present

**-**_**PROJECT CORONA OPERATIVES (PRESENT DAY)**_**-**

**Alpha (A): **Eternal Sunrise (Pegasus, female) (Omega's twin sister) (age 50)

**Beta (B): **Drifting Leaf (Pegasus, male) (age 40)

**Gamma (****Γ): **Golden Tiara (Earth Pony, female) (Chi's twin sister) (age 32) (incapacitated)

**Delta (****Δ****): **Steel-Walker (Earth Pony, male) (age 51)

**Epsilon (E): **Forest Gazer (Unicorn, male) (age 42)

**Zeta (Z): **Sparkfoot (Unicorn, male) (age 38)

**Eta (H): **Lucky Clover (Earth Pony, female) (age 21)

**Theta (****Θ****): **Sandtail (Earth Pony, female) (age 31)

**Iota (I): **Dancing Leaf (Pegasus, female) (age 25)

**Kappa (K): **Ocean Breeze (Pegasus, female) (age 26)

**Lambda (****Λ****): **Snowbank (Unicorn, female) (age 27)

**Mu (M): **Midnight Star (Pegasus, female) (23)

**Nu (N): **Iron Wing (Pegasus, male) (K.I.A. 19 years ago, age 45) (1 year until replacement)

**Xi (****Ξ****): **Shooting Star (Unicorn, female) (K.I.A. 22 years ago, age 29) (Search for replacement still in-progress)

**Omicron (O): **Azure Feather (Pegasus, female) (age 29)

**Pi (****Π****): **Crystal Shard (Unicorn, female) (age 24)

**Rho (P): **Stoneshard (Earth Pony, female) (age 47)

**Sigma (****Σ****): **Steely Stare (Earth Pony, male) (age 37)

**Tau (T): **Drifting Wing (Pegasus, male) (age 27)

**Upsilon (Y): **Silent Stride (Earth Pony, male) (age 34)

**Phi (****Φ****): **Bronze Blitz (Earth Pony, male) (K.I.A. 6 years ago, age 19) (14 years until replacement)

**Chi (X): **Indigo Ember (Unicorn, male) (Gamma's twin brother) (age 32)

**Psi (****Ψ****): **Cooled Sunbeam (Unicorn, male) (K.I.A. 11 years ago, age 20) (9 years until replacement)

**Omega (****Ω****): **Endless Sunset (Unicorn, male) (Alpha's twin brother) (age 50)

**LEADERSHIP:**

**Digamma (Ϝ): **Celestia

**Koppa (Ϙ): **Luna

**San (M): **Cadence


	8. Recap

**Clearing Up Something From Last Chapter: **There have only ever been three Uchiha dimensionally-dislocated individuals: Sayuri, Ren, and Kurosuke. There are no other Uchiha on Equestria. 'Tobi' only showed up long enough to kill Kurosuke and take his eyes, and then headed back to the shinobi world, never to return to Equestria because there was nothing left there for him to do. Storyline-wise, Kurosuke only existed as a catalyst for Tobi's interference, which in turn was a plot-excuse for "Golden Tiara's mind was broken by an outside force" (as written in my original bare-bones outline of planned plot developments).

Teana and Asuka are characters. Kurosuke was a living plot device.

**Reason for Update Wait: **Whoop-de-dee, it's _Dead Space 3_!

**PLEASE SEE CHAPTER ONE FOR MOST DISCLAIMERS**

PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE & CHARACTER PAGES

**-**_**CHAPTER START**_**-**

**Ponyville Mental Health Facility – Teal Ward Rec Room**

**Day After Chapter 6's End – 10:50 AM**

Silence reigned as the recently-informed group tried to process everything they'd just had proven to them. Other realms, humans, the truth behind Gamma Team and their two tagalong kids… Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon pretty much had their jaws on the floor, and Filthy Rich wasn't far behind. Golden Tiara, however, didn't look quite as phased.

"I _knew_ there was something special about you guys…" she said.

"So now you guys know" Teana said. "And Big Macintosh figured it out by himself… somehow. Now we've got pretty much everyone, so we're just waiting for Big Mac and two more ponies to join us. Then, we can watch the big datafile footage."

"Who're we waitin' for?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Twilight's older brother, and her old foalsitter who is now her brother's fiancée. They've both been informed already."

Twilight smiled. "It's been _months_ since I last saw my big brother" she said. "I can't wait!"

"I wonder what it'll be like" Scootaloo said. "What we're gonna watch, I mean."

"I bet it'll be even more awesome than that movie they showed us yesterday!" Rainbow Dash said.

Sarah smiled. _The Lion King _had gone over very well with the local group – laughter, tears, gasps, and cheers. Pinkie Pie and Sweetie Belle had laughed so hard as to be almost unable to breathe during 'Timon's Hula'.

One of the staff poked his head in. "Ms. Tiara, one of your visitors has visitors."

"Send them in."

A few seconds later, the door opened, and a tall unicorn stallion walked in, with white fur and three-toned blue mane & tail, and a Mark of a shield with a six-pointed star within it and three small five-pointed stars over it. Upon seeing him, Twilight ran up to him with a big smile on her face.

"Big Brother!" she cried.

"Twiley!" he answered as he hugged her tight.

"This is Twilight's big brother, Shining Armor" Spike said.

"Shining Armor…" Filthy Rich murmured, before his eyes widened with recognition. "Sparkle's older brother is the Captain of the Royal Guard?"

"Wait'll you see who his fiancée, Twilight's old babysitter, is" Rainbow Dash said.

"Knock, knock~" a musical voice said from behind the door.

"Come on in, dear" Shining replied.

As Cadence walked through and then snuggled up with Shining and Twilight, the Tiara Group's jaws collectively dropped.

"Well…" Golden Tiara said. "I did hear she sometimes takes babysitting jobs in Canterlot on the side…"

"That's how I met Shiny" Cadence said. "Through Twilight. Now… Who else are we waiting for, again?"

"That'd be me" a deep voice with a country twang to it said. The large red stallion responsible entered the room.

"Hey, big bro" Applejack and Apple Bloom waved.

"Okay, so everyone's here now" Teana said. "First off, I'll go over the Temporal Compression Spell again. It'll affect everything in this room. The amount of stuff we're gonna watch could last for _days_, but outside this room only a handful of hours will pass. Anyone in here will have the needs to eat, drink, sleep, or use the bathroom negated, but once we're done they'll all come back. Mrs. Tiara, your need to let Screwball 'take the reins' should be negated while you're in here. Also, though it's not _required_ to eat or drink, snacks and refreshments will be provided if you wish to treat this whole affair like a trip to the theater. And remember: everything you'll be seeing _actually happened_, despite the presence of music, camera angles, and other things. Those were added by the Scrying Spell variant used to acquire all of the 'footage'. Also, if you know how to sense energies like magic and _ki_, you'll be able to sense them in the 'show'. Any questions?"

"Why aren't Celestia and Luna here?" Scootaloo asked.

"My sisters are too busy to leave the castle" Cadence replied. "But they'll be watching this stuff up there on their own when they have the time."

"Okay, let's get this show on the road" Marie said as her and Teana's Devices activated, casting the dimension-shift spell, enveloping the room and everyone in it. The lights went out, and a big holoscreen formed against the far wall. Everyone settled in, and the show began.

First came the first adventure of young Nanoha Takamachi. The fact that a nine-year-old had magical potential and power on par with Twilight's was quite the shock, but it was magic-based flight that _really_ caught everyone's attention. There was shock and pity as Fate's story unfolded… which was magnified tenfold when her origins were revealed in the cruelest way possible. They watched as things came to a climax… and saw & heard Precia's horrified revelation and remorse as she fell into the Void. The post-battle cleanup followed, including the heartwarming scene between the two prepubescent mages. Then came the Book of Darkness Incident six months later – the Wolkenritter, sweet little Hayate, Admiral Graham's plot, the release of the Book's Avatar and the ensuing fight, Fate's painful choice, Hayate's intervention, and the climactic battle… and the ensuing sacrifice.

Next was the 'backstory' of the 'Halo-verse' - the rise of the UNSC, the Insurrection, the Orion Project, and then the Spartan-2 program, which was of… dubious morality (Fluttershy was damn near horrified). Then came first contact at Harvest, as well as the Prophet Triumvirate's scheme to commit genocide in order to keep hold of their personal power. They watched as the war rolled on, humanity gradually being pushed closer and closer to extinction; the Spartan-3 program (children being sent on 100% mortality rate suicide missions rubbed _everyone_ the wrong way); and throughout it all the rise to greatness of Spartan-117. It ended with the Battle of Sigma Octanis, and Capt. Keyes' awesome victory.

Then came something extra added to the showing, for the never-seen-it locals' sake: the _Star Wars _saga. They watched the 20 minute recap of what the Star Wars galaxy was like – concepts, history, battles, individuals, and more. Then events got rolling: the events surrounding the blockade/invasion of Naboo, a few stories from the following ten years, the outbreak of the Clone Wars, a multitude of happenings in the following three years (including Ahsoka's emergence, adventures, and development), and the terrible climax – the revelation behind the Sith Archlord Sidious' plot and actions, Anakin's fall, and the near-demise of the Jedi Order… but with a tiny spark of hope at the end.

The 'Dark Times' followed. However, light still shone as the Rebel Alliance, emboldened by Galen Marek's martyrdom, fought the oppressive Sith regime with tooth & nail. This led to the rise of Luke, and the destruction of the Death Star (which had left everyone with shock and horror; a weapon capable of not just destroying a planet, but blowing it to bits? Not even Alicorns had that much power). The empire's revenge, Luke learning a horrifying truth, fighting Jabba, fighting through Endor, Sidious' death and Anakin's redemption.

The events in the Koprulu Sector were next – the emergence of the Zerg, the alliance between Raynor and Mengsk… which ended when Mengsk's true depravity and heartlessness were made clear when he threw Kerrigan to the wolves and killed an entire planet; the fall of the Terran Confederacy and rise of the Terran Dominion; the Overmind's plot, and the rebirth of Kerrigan; the fall of Aiur; the hunt for Tassadar; the Dark Templar and their powers; the inter-Protoss fighting; the final battle, with Tassadar's awe-inspiring sacrifice; the escape from Aiur to Shakuras; meeting Raszagal; the brief alliance with Kerrigan; the purging of Shakuras; the plans of the UED; the emergence of Samir Duran; Duran's betrayal and Stukov's death; the taming of the Overmind; Kerrigan's counterattacks; Raszagal's fate; Zeratul's horrifying discovery; Kerrigan fighting off three enemy armies at once; the Queen of Blades' victory, and DuGalle's final regret.

The POV shifted to the universe home to the Sol Confederacy and their 'rejuve' tech, and the corruption that infested the Confederacy. They witnessed the formation of the Phoenix League, and the devastating war between the two powers. Smythe's betrayal, Melody's adventure with pregnancy, and other events followed.

The narrative shifted again, switching to the shinobi world. The tale of Uzumaki Naruto and the monstrous entity sealed inside him; the formation of Team 7 (the revelation that Sasuke literally lived for bloody revenge was… concerning to the ponies); the Land of Waves (Haku and Zabuza's tale brought tears to eyes); the beginning of the Chūnin Exams; the fight against Orochimaru (Twilight, being ophidiophobic, was quivering) and then against the Sound Trio; the reveal of Gaara's bloodlust, his nightmarishly brutal killing method leaving most of the viewers terrified; the heartbreaking 'battle' between Hinata and Neji that had Dash expressing her desire to leap through the screen and pummel the arrogant, sadistic brat; the epic fight between Lee and Gaara that ended devastatingly; the matchups for the finals.

The introduction of Jiraiya; training; finding out that Gaara had his own _Bijū_; Naruto beating the fatalism out of Neji; the fight between Sasuke and Gaara that took a terrifying turn; the Sand-Sound Invasion; the reveal of _Edo Tensei_, the implications of which were quite disturbing (moreso the desecration of the dead, however); the Third Hokage's fight and conviction; the revelation of Gaara's terrible past even as he transformed into a monster; Naruto's triumph, Gaara's step towards redemption… and the Third's fall; the arrival of Itachi & Kisame, and the scuffles with them; the search for Tsunade; the battle between the _Sannin_, and Naruto mastering his new technique; the return to Konoha; the mission to the Land of Snow; the multiple attempts to find out what was behind Kakashi's mask (a few of the viewers burst out into giggles when it was revealed to be "Another mask! Surprised?").

The deterioration of Sasuke's self-image, culminating in his betrayal; the formation and mobilization of the Retrieval Team; Chōji and Neji's heroic battles; Kimimaro's arrival and his awesome/disturbing (depending on who you asked) bloodline ability; the Sand Siblings' arrival; the epic, landscape-altering clash between Naruto and Sasuke; Sasuke's departure, and Naruto's conviction, and the beginning of his training.

Then things reached Midchilda – the formation of Riot Force 6, with the ponies (and Spike) finally getting to see what Teana's real human form looked like; Teana, partly out of embarrassment at what was coming and partly out of knowing that Noble Team was soon, cast a spell that removed herself from the dimensional pocket, to be released and return her to the audience after the Fall of Reach. The Local Group witnessed RF6's early adventures, the development of the teams, and the mad scientist Scaglietti's first moves. They saw as Teana stumbled across something (kept off-screen) in a cave. Then came the Hotel Augusta Incident, and the following White Devil Incident (Cadence, Twilight, and Shining agreed that, though Teana had been in the wrong, Nanoha had gone too far in response). Teana's vicious meltdown, and her ensuing drastic measures – Mana Core sealing, and exodus from that dimension aboard a (mostly automated) Forerunner destroyer.

"But… We've seen her using magic" Pinkie said.

"Something must've happened between then and now" Dash replied.

They watched as the newly-christened _Starshot_ arrived over Reach, and as Teana integrated herself with the UNSC, becoming part of Noble Team. …And then came the Fall of Reach; everyone felt empathy and sorrow as they watched Teana lose one beloved friend after another, right before her eyes, helpless to do anything about it, as the UNSC's stronghold slowly but inexorably fell to the tide of invasion. As the _Pillar of Autumn _fled the planet, they watched as the teen allowed herself to break down in Capt. Keyes' arms.

Teana rejoined the audience just in time for the _Autumn_'s arrival at Installation 04; the group marveled at the titanic megastructure. The fight across the ringworld, the callous bigotry and heartlessness of Major Silva (Dash and Spike actually cheered when Teana nearly caved his chest in), the rescue of Keyes, the assaults on the Cartographer and the Control Room; the revelations given by Chen S'Yar, and the horrors of the Flood; the reveal of exactly what the Halo Array did; the fight across the snowy plains, and then through the Flood-infected ship; the horrifying fate of Keyes; the run through the wreck of the _Autumn_; and the cataclysmic neutralizing of three different threats at once.

Meeting survivors; hijacking an enemy heavy cruiser; being pulled back in time by a Forerunner artifact; the adventures of Reach's survivors, and their link-up with the _Autumn_'s; the escape into a twisted realm of existence, and arriving at an old rebel base; Halsey's sudden departure; the assault on the _Unyielding Hierophant_; Whitcomb & Haverson's sacrifice, and the return home. The shaming of Fleet-Master Vadamee, the Covenant's accidental discovery of Earth, the battle of New Mombasa, and Regret's violent departure; the Arbiter's first mission, and Guilty Spark's return; the Battle of Halo-05; Regret's death; the Arbiter's mission, and Tartarus' betrayal; the reveal of the Gravemind (his psychic presence almost sent Cadence into convulsions; his true/astral self, from what she could sense, was as mighty – and as utterly _**wrong**_ – as Lord Havoc); the outbreak of the Great Schism, and the impromptu alliance with the Sangheili; the Flood's arrival, and Mercy's death; the Chief fighting through the infested city and hitching a ride on Truth's ship; Teana linking up with Arbiter Vadamee, rescuing Johnson & Keyes, and taking down Tartarus; discovering that Earth held a means to access The Ark; the events on Onyx.

Then the first big shock came with the awakening of Teana's _Sharingan_; everyone in the audience looked to the girl, who activated her eyes in response, proving it. Then the return to Earth; the Chief's descent; fighting through the Kenyan jungle; reaching and then evacuating Crow's Nest; the road to Voi; the assault… and the activation of the Portal; the Flood's arrival, and that of Rtas Vadum's forces; Cortana's warning; the fateful decision, and entering the gateway; discovering the largest artificial structure ever seen; fighting the way to Installation-00's Cartographer; the assault on the Citadel; High Charity's arrival; Truth's demise; the new Halo-04; finding Cortana; fighting across the new Halo; Guilty Spark's Rampancy and destruction; and the final harrowing escape back to Earth.

Then, the local group got to see the true human forms of first Marie, then Kaede, and then Mai and Shion, as the four arrived via dimensional translocation, and heard what portions of their sad stories they were willing to divulge at that time (Mai's, unfortunately, provided the most detail thanks to flashback snippets, bursts of horrifying images, when her memory blocks came down, leaving the ponies nauseated and horrified; Fluttershy and Rarity nearly passed out upon learning the fate of Mai's child, while Mai herself was curled up in a ball, hooves over her ears and eyes squinted shut); fighting Brute holdouts in the Sol System; the formal formation of Gamma Team; the Crassus campaign; and finally, departing that realm with a multitude of crewmen.

A quick visit to the galaxy of the Galactic Civil War followed, with a Precursor device resurrecting Ahsoka, Rex, & Cody, and Ahsoka becoming Gamma-6. Then the trip to the Koprulu Sector; Shion passing the Shadow Walk; Raynor getting back into the swing of things just as Kerrigan returned from a four-year hiatus; the colonists' sufferings, Tosh's plans, hunting artifacts, fighting Tal'darim, and exposing Mengsk; Zeratul's visions, and the horrible possible future they hinted at, as well as the introduction of the Dark Voice; the desperate assault on Char, and Kerrigan's purification.

Then the narrative shifted to the shinobi world. First it showed the bit of Kakashi's backstory, how he acquired his special eye. Then it switched to three years after Uzumaki's training journey began, starting with his return. Reuniting and info-sharing; the stirring of Akatsuki; Gaara's lofty new status, and his epic battle against Deidara; the Leaf's mobilization for rescue; fighting the duplicates of Itachi and Kisame; fighting Sasori; Kakashi's _Mangekyō_; Naruto's sorrow; Chiyo's sacrifice; Sai and Yamato's introductions; the mission to the Heaven-Earth Bridge; Naruto's terrible fury; the 4-Tailed Form, whose mere energy signature had the audience quivering ("It's nearly as powerful as Celestia…" Twilight whispered with horror); the aftermath, and chasing Orochimaru; Sai's change of heart; the battle with Sasuke; and the return home.

The narrative returned to Gamma Team, as mid-slip they were hit by a unique delayed multi-spell 'installed' in the _Starshot_ that gave them knowledge of chakra manipulation. The arrival at the Phoenix League's Earth; training; Shion confessing her painful family situation; the fight against the _kishin_, which saw the awakening of Teana's _Mangekyō_; the debut of Marie's Intelligent Device; and making the jump to the shinobi world.

Introductions to Konoha; the revelation of Teana's maternal heritage; the reveal of Shion's newfound status as a Type-1 _Jinchūriki_, and Mai's as a Type-2; Kaede's bloodline ability (which she promptly demonstrated to the audience; Rarity almost fainted, even as her little sis called it awesome); element manipulation training; the incident involving the Type-2 _Jinchūriki _named Sora; the attempted hunt for Hidan & Kakuzu… that led to the tragic, drawn-out, heart-rending-music-accompanied death of Asuma; nearly all of the viewing local group was openly crying. Shikamaru's resolve; the showdown; Hidan's defeat; Naruto's devastating new technique; the adventure involving the 3-Tails; Orochimaru's 'death' (Twilight: "Oh sweet Celestia, he's _made_ of snakes! *whimper*") and the formation of Team Snake; Sasuke vs. Deidara.

The reveal of 'Madara' (Golden Tiara, with horror, quickly recognized the voice, mask-style, and red eye of the figure responsible for psychically breaking her mind four years earlier); a flashback 'episode' detailing Jiraiya's time with the three Amegakure orphans; Jiraiya's infiltration of the Rain, his battle with Konan; the arrival of Pain, the debut of Sage Mode (the power that Cadence and the unicorns could sense was astonishing)… and the Six Paths' ambush, leading to Jiraiya's defeat; the old warrior's final, everything-he-had Super _Rasengan_, and his death as he sank into the abyss; the final battle between Sasuke & Itachi… and, afterwards, the shocking truths revealed by 'Madara', which led Sasuke to awaken his _Mangekyō_… and swear bloody vengeance upon Konoha.

Naruto being given the bad news, rallying with Iruka & Shikamaru's help, and leaving for Sage training; the Invasion of Pain; Teana vs. Sasuke; the fate of Teana's brother's body; Mai's rage; Naruto's arrival, and the awesome demonstration of his Sage Mode powers; things turning against Naruto… until Hinata's fall triggered the fox's fury (at 6 tails, he was strong enough to take Celestia on and win; at eight, he could flatten all three alicorns at once effortlessly); the Fourth Hokage's last-minute rescue, preventing the _Kyūbi_'s unsealing, and his long-awaited talk with his son; Naruto's victory over the last Path of Pain; Naruto & Teana's cornering and interrogating of Nagato and Konan, learning the Hell that the two have been through; Naruto managing to convince Nagato to change heart, followed by the man's sacrificial resurrection technique (Trixie: "Wait… Marie, you _died_?-!" Marie: "Yeah. But I got better. So it's all good."); Konan's warning; Naruto returning to the village a hero; the _Starshot_ group departing… and a flashback revealing that Teana & Itachi met during the 3-Tails Incident, with the latter giving the former "a gift".

The narrative shifted to another Earth, and a 10-year-old magic-school graduate named Negi Springfield. It showed his integration with Mahora; the 'battles' with Evangeline; the Pactio system, which intrigued the viewers in more ways than one; the trip to Kyoto; the trip to Ayaka's southern resort; Negi's heart-wrenching past (made worse by the fact he blamed it on himself); the fight against Graf Hermann. Then the _Starshot_ crew arrived. Explanations; Teana getting metaphorically hit in the face by the truth behind several falsehoods she believed about magic, and thus regaining her ability to use it… stronger than ever; integration and training; various little mini-adventures for different members of the class; the start of the Mahora Festival; saving Chao and receiving the Cassiopeia; Negi's many misadventures at the festival (including the 'Kissing Terminator' incident); the Tournament –Teana & Mana T.'s gunslinger fight, Ahsoka humiliating Takane, Negi beating Takahata, the hint of Asuna's memory-locked past… and her Berserk Mode, Evangeline's terrifying fury; Kaede N. beating Teana and Negi beating Ahsoka; and then came Evangeline's fight against Setsuna, followed shortly by a short explanation of her backstory, which sent the ponies' sympathy for the girl soaring upward as they finally realized why she was so cynical and called herself evil: she _had_ to, in order to remain sane after all the horrible things that had happened to her unprovoked; despite her protestations of maturity, her eternally-juvenile brain was unable to truly handle the cognitive dissonance of so many terrible things happening to a good person, and so she'd reasoned that she must actually be a terrible person for them to have happened to her. Deep down, she was a sad, scared little child angry at the world, but unable to do anything about it through all the heartache, loneliness, and pain that consumed and controlled her.

The rest of the tournament proceeded, followed by other little adventures; Negi forming Pactios with Yue, Ahsoka, and Haruna; the reveal that Chao was up to something big; the 'going-away party'; being tricked a week into the future, and then fighting their way back (Shining: "You used _Tsukuyomi_ on a **toddler**?-!" Teana: "I didn't know! I thought it was some little goblin-summon or something under that hood!"); bringing the matter to Mahora's mages' attention, and planning a defense; Chisame's Pactio; the epic battle between Negi and Chao, including Chao's tremendously-powerful Fire attack… and what she had done to herself; Negi's victory, and Chao's departure.

Various little happenings after the Festival; Anya's arrival; Asuna's rage at Evangeline opening her to Nihilus' possession; traveling to Wales; making the jump to Mundus Magicus… and being ambushed; rallying and fighting off Averruncus' forces, only to be scattered across the planet; meeting up at a town, only to discover a price on their heads; learning the situation with the slave-owner; meeting Jack Rakan; Negi choosing to learn _Magia Erebea_; traveling to New Ostia, and finding more of their lost members; the first real demonstration of Negi's new power; fighting Averruncus and his underlings; the true story of the Great War; the situation involving Asuna; progressing through the tournament; the demonstration of _Khilipl Astrape _(even Cadence's jaw dropped); the crash-course training with four veteran instructors (including a "Super Shadow Clone" of Evangeline); the epic, earth-shattering, awe-inspiring fight between Negi and Rakan.

Finding Yue; fighting Kurt Gödel; going to the ball; the confrontation with Gödel that led to Negi losing himself to rage and becoming a daemon; Arika's fate; the fight against Megalosembrian forces that was interrupted by a large-scale _Cosmo Entelecheia_ attack; Rakan's death; Marie and Teana's new attacks; regrouping; unmasking the sleeper agent; the truths about _Mundus Magicus_; Negi's 'training' to conquer _Erebia_; planning the attack; Tsukuyomi's interruption; breaching the defenses; the enemy's cruelty, Teana's mercilessness, and Negi's fury; sneaking past Fate, ambushing him, and escaping with The Key… only for Averruncus 4 through 6 to make their appearances; an impromptu alliance, and Negi's awakening; Negi vs. Fate and Teana vs. Dynamis; Fate's surrender; Negi & Teana's plan; the Lifemaker's interference, and the resurrection of _CE_; Evangeline leading the cavalry and flattening the enemy army; Asuna breaking free and helping dispel the Lifemaker… and finding out who the dark entity's current host was.

Returning home; the Lifemaker breaking free of his prison; Chao's return; Teana taking out Averruncus Quartum in spectacular fashion; the defeat of Nii, Septendecim, and Secundum (which included Shion taking that terrible daemonic form); Teana and Negi encountering the mysterious cloaked girl named Ruin, and being helped by the _other_ mysterious cloaked girl, both wielding odd weapons that bore rather interesting magical signatures; finding and freeing Arika, and taking out Ichii and Quintum; defeating the last of _Cosmo Entelecheia_, fighting the Lifemaker and freeing Nagi… and the Lifemaker manifesting his own body, killing Chao, and revealing himself to be a Precursor, and then pulling the entire planet's population into the Eternal Garden. Shion finding her soulmate's astral projection and mastering her inner darkness; the Gamma girls being helped by the ghosts of their loved ones, and then rescuing Teana; breaking free of the Eternal Garden, supercharged by the Earth itself; destroying the Last Precursor; celebrations; discovering they need to return to their home realms to iron things out; bidding farewell, and leaving that realm.

Coming to Mai & Marie's home Earth; killing Ishiyama, and freeing Kizuna; meeting Marie's family (the ponies and Spike finally getting to see what Erika & Timmy's human forms looked like; it was agreed that Erika was just as adorable as a little human girl as she was as a filly); going to Kaede's Earth; Kaede losing herself to anger and nearly killing Asa; going to Shion's Earth, meeting her friends, and fighting off Oryō; chasing the Sonozaki Traditionalists out; learning the terrible truths behind what plagued Hinamizawa; meeting Hanyū; healing Satoshi… and Kaede nearly dying from chakra exhaustion; Erika and Col. Holland kicking the ass of Satoko's evil uncle; Rika's confession; learning the enemy's identity; running circles around Takano's plans; Tōkyō's interference, Takano's death, and the organization's thwarted invasion; assaulting Tōkyō's headquarters, killing their leaders… and Kadak's introduction; the Traditionalists' last offensive, and Oryō's death; Hanyū getting a body; Teppei's return and, upon his failure, possession; the reveal of Itachi's "gift" to Teana; departing for Midchilda.

The narrative switched to something entirely different, then: the events of the _Kingdom Hearts _universe, from _Birth By Sleep_ to _KH2_. Hearts and Keyblades, Heartless and Nobodies, Unversed and Darkness, Eraqus and his disciples, Xehanort, Sora, Riku, and all that. Only after that was done did the narrative return to Teana and company. The _Starshot_ arriving in the nick of time; reuniting; the epic battle between Nanoha and Teana… and, afterwards, the reveal of Nanoha's motivations and experiences, leading to Teana – with difficulty, admittedly – letting go of her hatred and making peace with the woman (Twilight: "So all that anger and hatred, all the traveling, all the angst, all the training and gaining of power, all the destruction… was because of a misunderstanding?"); four weeks of peace, followed abruptly by Jail Scaglietti launching his assault… with demonic assistance; the reveal of Subaru's _Bijū_ and of Nanoha's summoning contract; Dragon Lord Voltaire (Spike almost started genuflecting right then & there); Ginga and Vivio's capture; the _Saint's Cradle_.

The arrival of reinforcements from all the space-faring civilizations Teana had worked with (including the reveal of the _Infinity_); Sgt-Maj. Johnson's epic speech, and the fleet jumping to Belka; the Battle of Belka's commencement; infiltrating the _Cradle_; Nanoha's Sage Mode; Subaru's victory; a fight against Scaglietti, ended by the debut of Teana's _Rasenshuriken_; Ala Alba's arrival; returning to Midchilda; the demons' attack; Subaru going 4-Tails; the viewers reacted with shocked amazement when Erika manifested her Keyblade; Teana, Nanoha, and Negi taking Kadak down; Mana Kirishima's arrival; Zeratul's visit.

Entering the Realm of Darkness; fighting Heartless; meeting the little cloaked girl… and learning that she, Laicixa, was the Nobody of Fate's long-lost sister/progenitor; finding Precia, sane and overcome with guilt and remorse; taking down a large force of Heartless; finding Aqua, and she then taking Erika as a student; returning to Midchilda; the formation of Sigma Team; learning their next destination.

The story of the dangerous young mutant "Lucy" and the group she found herself with; Gamma's arrival; explanations of what the Diclonii were and had been through (the descriptions of what Kaede K. and Nana had been subjected to at the Institute sickened and horrified the viewing ponies); finding Mariko and bringing her into the fold; Nana getting new limbs; Mariko's 'predicament' (same as Erika's and Nozomi's); fighting and vanquishing Kaede K.'s Heart's Darkness; Kanba's arrival; the gruesome flashback of Kaede K.'s "awakening"; more allies; Laicixa's new Device; Nyū getting her own body; rescuing Group Mariko from a minor demon attack; the assault on the Institute; Kakuzawa's delusions and death; rescued captives; Negi's Device; Mayu's past; the confrontation with Nozomi's father, and the one with Tomō; encountering and dealing with Mayu's parents; finding Aiko; Kaede & Nana's mothers; Kanba vs. The Hunter; departing for the next realm.

A condensed, one-hour synopsis of _Red vs. Blue_ seasons 1 through 8, followed by the events of Seasons 9 and 10 up to Gamma's arrival; Marie fangirling (Pinkie: "Wow~! Rainbow Dash didn't even squee that hard for meeting the Wonderbolts!"); fighting off a Black Sun ambush; reaching Valhalla, finding Donut, and still searching for clues; flashbacks of Carolina's breakdown and Texas discovering the awful truths; Church gaining all of his lost memory; Church blowing his top at the Blood-Gulch Crew, and he & Carolina heading out on their own; flashback of the fall of the _Mother of Invention_ and the birth of The Meta; Sarge's rallying speech, and Sigma Team's arrival; the Tex Army; confronting the Director; fighting off a Black Sun attack; new weapons; the Precursor resurrector's final act, bringing back York, North, Florida, Delta, and Theta; "Holy crap, that's Georgia!"; the assault on the _Procyon_; Tex's return, with Spartans close behind; Caboose's (apparent) death; the rage-fueled final push; finding that a daemon did their work for them; Caboose's survival; Carolina & Texas' reconciliation; departing for Mana K.'s home realm.

The events involving poor Shinji Ikari, from Third to Twelfth Angels; the _Starshot_'s arrival; Agent Washington's knowledge; Mari Makinami's arrival, and Asuka discovering that Rei _does_ have emotions (to her surprise and guilt); the reveal of Asuka's Uchiha heritage on her mother's side, that she and Teana were third-cousins… and that Teana was Madara's great-granddaughter; Mari's mother's… unique… job; the fight against the Thirteenth (with no pilot/captive, thanks to Wash's actions); Kaji being recruited by ONI; the trip to the spa; reinforcements; Ritsuko, Fuyutsuki, and Misato being brought in on things; Zeruel's attack, and the mighty battle that commenced; the awakening of Asuka's bloodline ability.

Teana meeting Kyōko while Cortana spoke with Yui; Rei confessing her origins; Wash revealing everything to Asuka & Shinji; Rei finally losing her temper and telling Gendō to go screw himself; Ruin leading a Heartless/Unversed attack; Fate manifesting her Keyblade; the Fifteenth Angel being curb-stomped by starship-grade weaponry; Shinji killing a _kishin_; killing the Sixteenth; 'resurrecting' Yui & Kyōko… and Yui nearly murdering Gendō in a mama-bear rage; recruiting Kaworu; the enemy's attack on SEELE; Ren Uchiha-Sōryū; fighting off SEELE's invasion attempt; Teana's gruesomely gory intimidation/interrogation method (Rarity almost threw up); the assault on SEELE HQ; the enemy "Assuming Direct Control" of Kihl's corpse only to get taken down by Kyōko's _Susanō_; heading for Master Yen-Sid.

The narrative shifted to the Naruto-verse, picking up where it last left off. The Five-Kage Conference; fighting Danzō; the depths of Sasuke's insane hatred; the alliance between 'Madara' and Kabuto; Naruto conquering his Inner Darkness, and defeating the _Kyūbi_; the truth behind the night of the Fox's attack (there wasn't a dry eye amongst the Local Group as Minato & Kushina spoke their final words); Guy vs. Kisame; Konan vs. 'Madara'; the Grand Alliance; the _Edo Tensei_ army; the various battles that followed, as Naruto's training continued; Naruto and Bee break; fighting the Seven Swordsmen; Naruto vs. Raikage; Naruto & Bee enter the war; Itachi's gambit; more epic fights; fighting 'Madara' and his _Jinchūriki_; seeing the _Edo Tensei_ of Madara Uchiha, revealing 'Madara' to be an impostor; Madara vs. the Five Kagé; Sasuke & Itachi defeating Kabuto; Naruto unmasking Tobi… revealing him to be Obito, alive and thoroughly fallen to Darkness thanks to the real Madara saving and teaching/twisting him; Sasuke reviving Orochimaru; Madara's arrival, having slain the Five Kagé; the awakening of the 10-Tails; Neji's sacrifice; Orochimaru and Sasuke interrogating the revived first four Hokage; and the other things that haven't happened yet as of this writing so the author can't describe them.

The _Starshot_ arriving at the Mysterious Tower, and explaining everything to Team Sora; the events in the Realm of Sleep – Xehanort's return and true plan, Lea's arrival and wielding of a Keyblade, Riku's being named a Master; the _Starshot_ group arriving at Radiant Garden; Ala Alba's arrival; Erika, Laicixa, and Kanba vs. Hades; the mysterious enemy using _Edo Tensei_ to summon Reinforce and force her to fight the heroes… only for The Librarian's failsafe spell to free and revive her; the Phoenix League personnel's arrival… along with Zeratul and Kerrigan; Sora & company's arrival; Ruin facing off with Fate… and revealing herself to be Fate & Alicia's Unversed, and then revealing that Alicia's Heart slumbers within Fate; the epic duel between Fate and Ruin, that saw Fate use some trickery with a special Shadow Clone and Laicixa to give Alicia her own permanent new body (by this point, Twilight was practically drooling as she tried to consider what _else_ Keyblades could do); the reveal of their enemy's leader: the Dark Voice; Xehanort's alliance with the Fallen Xel'Naga, and the Dark One's resurrection of Vanitas and of Kaede K.'s Heart's Darkness; the shinobi's arrival; Sarah & Marie's combination attack; discovering the existence of a second multi-dimensional alliance; and finally, leaving for Equestria.

"My…" Golden Tiara said. "You girls have certainly been through a lot."

"So this 'Dark Voice' is our enemy, huh?" Rainbow Dash said.

"And our enemy can perform _Edo Tensei_," Twilight added, "so there's no telling what or who they might send at us in the future."

"Whatever they toss out next, we'll be here to help you guys" Shining Armor said.

Questions were answered for the next 15 or so minutes, before everyone then had to leave and attend to their own things.

**-**_**CHAPTER END**_**-**

Next Time: Back in the swing of things with plot development


	9. Origin

**PLEASE SEE CHAPTER ONE FOR MOST DISCLAIMERS**

_**Mass Effect**_** is the property of Bioware**

**The character of Checker Monarch is the creation of ff-net author 'Kendell', and is used with his permission**

For any scenes with Checker baring her teeth, remember: in my fic 'verse, ponies are omnivores. So yes, they have "fangs" like we do.

PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE & CHARACTER PAGES

**-**_**CHAPTER START**_**-**

**Cake Residence / Sugarcube Corner**

**Next Day – 10:30 PM**

Pinkie snored lightly as a magenta glow surrounded her, slowly lowering her into her bed. Twilight then quietly backed out of the room, softly closing the door behind her. She made her way back down the stairs, finding the Cakes, Rarity, Dash, Fluttershy, and AJ waiting.

"Thank you for helping Pinkie home" Mr. Cake said. "It's been a while since I've seen her this exhausted."

"Well, she did help plan, set up, and participate in five different local parties today" Twilight replied. "I guess she's all partied out at the moment."

"It's weird seeing her with straight hair" Rainbow Dash said. "That happens whenever she's deep asleep?"

Mrs. Cake nodded. "It also happens when she's very sad, or very angry."

"Pinkie Pie sad or genuinely angry?" Applejack said. "I'll believe that when I see it."

Mr. and Mrs. Cake looked at each other. "She wasn't always so happy" Mr. Cake said sadly. "When we first found her, she never smiled, she was always so quiet and fearful, and she both feared and craved affection to a worrying degree. It took several years for her to perk up and become like she is now."

The five girls looked rather curious. "How… exactly did you find Pinkie?" Rarity asked.

Mr. & Mrs. Cake shared a look, sadness on their faces as they remembered. And then, they had the girls sit down, and began to tell the tale.

**-**_**FLASHBACK**_**-**

**11 Years Ago**

**Outskirts of Ponyville – 10:15 PM**

Carrot Cake and Cup Cake, newlyweds, walked with tails intertwined through the park, hanging lamps adding to the Moon's glow to light their way. The night was beautiful, and as the two stopped he gazed into her eyes as they sparkled with starlight. Suddenly, however, they both heard an indescribable sound, low and whirring. They followed to where it was, and as they got close they heard little labored breaths. They looked behind a bench, and gasped at what they saw.

It was a little filly, around six or seven years old. She had white fur, mane, and tail, and was practically covered in bandages. She looked worryingly thin, and her breathing was labored as she shivered in the cool night. The newlyweds looked at each other for several seconds, speaking without talking. The little filly whimpered in pain and fear as Mrs. Cake gently scooped her up and placed her on Mr. Cake's back. The two then made best speed for Ponyville General Hospital.

-_Mini-Break_-

Half an hour later, the couple sat in the hospital waiting room. They didn't even know who this child was, but they were already nearly consumed with worry for the broken little thing. Their heads perked up as the doctor, an older unicorn stallion, walked out. Immediately the Cakes hurried up to him.

"The poor little thing's in a bad way" the doctor said. "Those bandages were concealing chemical burns – fresh ones, less than two days old from the looks of them. There's some damage to her lungs from inhaling fumes from whatever gave her those burns. She's malnourished and dehydrated. And a scan-spell for brain injuries revealed the telltale brain-chemistry signs of clinical depression."

"What could've done all this…?" Mr. Cake breathed out.

"May we see her?" Mrs. Cake asked.

The old doctor nodded, and he led them through the hallways. They reached a room where the lights were dimmed. In the center of the big bed, the filly looked even smaller. IVs ran into her forelimb, and her wounds had been properly cleaned and re-bandaged. She looked to be asleep, her breathing still a little labored. Overall, she looked so tiny and vulnerable and helpless; it was heartbreaking. Mr. & Mrs. Cake slowly walked over to the bed, standing on either side. Mrs. Cake very gently brushed her hoof along the little girl's forehead.

In response, the little filly took a deep, ragged breath, and her blue eyes slowly opened. As she took in her surroundings, her eyes went wide and her heart rate went up as she started panicking from confusion.

"Easy, sweetie" Mrs. Cake said softly, laying her hoof on the girl's. "You're safe now. You're in a hospital. You're okay. Calm down, honey. You're safe."

Slowly, the scared little girl calmed down; Mrs. Cake holding her hoof helped with that. "Where am I?" she asked in a quiet, raspy little voice.

"You're in Ponyville" Mr. Cake said. "Ponyville General Hospital"

"My husband and I were walking through the park together when we found you" Mrs. Cake said. "What's your name, dear? Where are you from? How'd you get to the park where we found you?"

"M-My name is… Pinkamena Pie. It hurts."

"What hurts?" Mr. Cake asked.

"My name. It hurts me."

The newlyweds and the doctor shared a concerned look. The girl took another ragged breath.

"I'm six years old, seven in about a week. I'm from a rock farm out in the eastern badlands, a few hours from Canterlot. Work is all day, every day, tending to the rock fields. No talking allowed, no getting distracted, no enjoyment, no happiness, no love. …I never fit in. I always felt like something inside me was missing. Then one day, a couple weeks ago, there was a brilliant light and a loud bang, a rainbow-colored shockwave that cleared the clouds away. It was beautiful. It filled me with a warm feeling that I'd never felt before. I… I smiled for the first time in my life. And I wanted to bring that smile to others, to my family. So I went to our old storehouse, and I put together a party, to bring some joy and color to my family, just this once. While I was working on it, imagining how it would go, my Cutie Mark appeared. I'd found my calling. So, after everything was set up, I called my family over, my parents and two sisters."

The little girl whimpered, hugging herself.

"Mother and father were… not happy. Instead, they were furious. They tore the decorations down. They spanked me, they… hit me. And when they saw that I'd gotten a Cutie Mark for it, they got even angrier, shouting at me for 'having such a worthless special talent'. I was immediately put back to work on the rock farm. Things were worse now. The feeling of missing something, of not belonging, was back and stronger than ever. All that happiness I briefly had is gone forever now.

"The sadness came back worse than ever. The pain inside me got stronger and stronger every day. I stopped eating, because I… I just can't bear to. W-When I told mother that I felt sad but didn't know why, she got real upset and yelled at me. I… I eventually figured that I knew what was wrong with me. Everything at the farm was dull, greys and browns, even my family's coats. But there I was with, my garish, hideous, bright pink fur."

Looking at the filly's now-white fur, and recalling the chemical burns, the doctor felt concern and muted horror as he put two and two together to guess what ended up happening.

"The pink. The _damned _pink! It was disgusting and ugly and marked me as an oddity that was to be isolated and ignored. Nothing else on the farm was pink. If I wasn't pink, then maybe my parents and sisters would accept me, then maybe I wouldn't feel so empty. The pink was what made me unlovable. If I could change that, get rid of it, then everything would be okay. The pink was a stain. And… there was one thing mother always used to get rid of stains. In the middle of the night, I drew a bath, and I added a couple jugs of bleach, and I got in, and I started scrubbing the get the pink out."

As she took a few deep breaths, Mr. & Mrs. Cake looked to each other with concern and horror. The burns, the abrasions, and fume damage to her lungs, it all made horrifying, heartbreaking sense.

"I scrubbed, and I scrubbed, but it wasn't coming out. It burned, it felt like a thousand knives stabbing into me, but it still wouldn't come out! I kept going, but at some point I passed out. …When I came to, I was in my bed, covered in bandages. The pink was gone. But the pain, the sadness, the not-belonging-ness was all still there. And it was worse than ever. Mother and father still hated me. They said I was nothing but a burden. I knew, right then and there, that no matter what I said or did, I will never be loved.

"One night, as soon as I was able to move around, when everyone else was asleep, I wrote a note explaining my feelings. And then I snuck out of the house, started walking, and never looked back. A little ways out, I was gonna collapse under a rock and lay there for the night, when suddenly some swirling vortex formed nearby – a leyline gateway. I took the chance and hobbled through."

The unicorn doctor let out a gasp. The two Earth Ponies turned to him in confusion.

"You know how magical leylines crisscross the planet, right?" the doctor asked.

Mr. & Mrs. Cake nodded.

"If you know how and have sufficient magical skill, you can travel along them by creating a temporary portal between two points along the same leyline. However, natural portals can sometimes form from excess planetary mana, but they're extremely rare – about once every 70 years – and never last longer than 30 seconds. This little girl was in the right place at the right time to catch one of those extraordinary occurrences. …It also explains how she got all the way to Ponyville in her condition."

The three adults were interrupted as little Pinkamena suddenly fell into a coughing fit, harsh wheezing coughs wracking her tiny body. Immediately Mrs. Cake was by her side, hoof rubbing her back as she hunched over, struggling to breathe with damaged lungs. After several harrowing seconds, the coughing relented, leaving her gasping and wheezing for breath, tears in her squinted-shut eyes.

"Wh…" she gasped out. "What's gonna happen to me now? Are you gonna let me… keep traveling, try to find someplace, or… a-are you gonna send me back?"

"We will _not_ be sending you back to that awful place, sweetie" Mr. Cake replied. He then looked to the doctor.

"Most definitely not" the doctor said. "First off, we'll keep you here for few days, get you some nutrients, start some treatments to heal your skin and your lungs. Then we'll ask around town, see if anyone would be willing to foster you."

Mr. and Mrs. Cake looked to each other for a few seconds, and then nodded and each raised a hoof. The little filly let out a little gasp, eyes wide with surprise. She looked at them, trying to ask something but too shocked to talk. Mrs. Cake came up and gently hugged her, feeling the broken little girl stiffen up from the unfamiliar gesture, slowly relaxing as the adult rubbed her back and nuzzled her.

"W-Why?" Pinkamena whispered out.

"You don't even know what it's like to be loved" Mrs. Cake replied. "That needs to be corrected. You need a home. You need a family – a _real_ family. You need a place and a way to exercise and _embrace_ your Special Talent, not have it denied and repressed. You need a place to belong… and we want to give that to you. We want to give you a chance at happiness."

"We both understand that you have a great deal of issues to work through" Mr. Cake said. "But we'll help you along every step of the way… If you don't like your birth name, what can we call you? Hmm… Is… 'Pinkie' okay?"

"Y… Yeah…" the girl squeaked out, still in shock, tears forming in her eyes without her knowing why. "P… Pinkie Pie is… alright…"

The tears started to fall little by little, and then as Mrs. Cake held her closer, Mr. Cake joining the embrace, the dam broke, and years of pain came spilling out all at once, the little girl's wails audible out in the hall despite being muffled by the hug she was in.

**-**_**FLASHBACK END**_**-**

"And that's how we got Pinkie" Mr. Cake finished.

Shock and sadness filled the five listeners. Fluttershy and Rarity were in tears, while Rainbow Dash seemed to be actively fighting hers back.

"By Ouranos…" Twilight murmured.

"I…" Applejack started. "I never knew Pinkie used to be so…"

"A couple days after that, she was allowed to leave the hospital" Mr. Cake said. "A few days after _that_, we threw her a little Seventh Birthday Party. It wasn't much – a small cake, a few simple presents. But… it had a tremendous impact on her. She cried so hard. After the life she'd lived, being given her first ever proper birthday party, with happiness and colors and gifts… it overwhelmed her, in a good way."

"Pinkie was so fragile for quite a while" Mrs. Cake said. "When her fur's natural color started coming back, and she noticed, she came to us in tears. She was utterly terrified that if the pink came back, her 'bad feelings' would, too. I held her close and assured her that they wouldn't, that we wouldn't let them. It… took months before she was able to sleep in her own bed, without one of us to cuddle her at night. Us teaching her how to bake and cook, how to plan parties, seemed to really help her heal."

"Even so," Mr. Cake picked up, "it took a long time for her to fully recover from the years of neglect. She wasn't really, fully the happy, bouncy ball-of-sunshine Pinkie Pie you girls would recognize until she was about 14 or 15 years old. And she'll be 18 in ten days, so…"

The girls were silent for several seconds as they composed themselves.

"We… should get to work on planning her 18th birthday party" Twilight said. "This'll be her first birthday with the five of us. We should make it special."

"How 'bout a surprise party?" Applejack suggested.

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Next Day**

**3:15 PM**

Trixie walked down the street that ran past her destination. She had been discharged from the hospital this morning, but she would still be on medications and a special diet to bring her closer to health and up to a healthy weight. She still had bandages on some of her larger wounds – the gash on her side, and a couple of the older wounds that had been infected by the time she was brought in. She would be staying at Twilight & Spike's place for the foreseeable future; she was very grateful to them for that, even though she still felt she didn't deserve it. The psychosomatic block on her magic was still present, and her depression-based Cutie Mark loss was still in effect. Apparently word had gotten out regarding what had happened to her; of the ponies who she'd seen as she made her way along, most gave her looks of understanding, empathy, and pity (and some shock at noticing her cybernetic right eye). A few shot her dirty looks and glares, but they were quickly caught and chastised by those who didn't.

Trixie didn't really care about what they thought, though. She just wanted to see the woman who'd been supporting her ever since they first met.

She walked through the swinging front doors and up to the front desk. "E-Excuse me" she said.

Silent Forest looked up from her romance novel. "Oh, Trixie! You're out of the hospital, I see. Here to see Ms. Tiara, I presume?"

"Yes, ma'am"

"She's over in Teal Ward, Rec Room. She just gave Screwball about an hour at the helm, so she should be good for about seven or eight hours."

"Thank you" the broken young unicorn nodded. She walked down the halls, and soon reached the Rec Room. Upon seeing her, Golden Tiara smiled warmly.

"Trixie! You're finally out of the hospital!"

As the young girl walked up, the motherly mare carefully hugged her, which she returned.

"What brings you here, dear?" Golden asked.

"I… just wanted to spend a little time with you. Is that okay?"

"Of course it is. So how have you been feeling?"

Over the next 20 or so minutes, the two talked about this and that. Unbeknownst to them, however, a dark shadow from Trixie's past was drawing near…

-_Mini-Break_-

She followed the road, heading for the hinted destination. She'd come to this town to pick up her ordered dress from Carousel Boutique, and while in this little town she'd heard rumors, mentions, that _she_ was here. She nonchalantly asked a few questions here & there, quietly reveling in the fear that ponies displayed upon meeting her gaze, and the clues provided had pointed her in the direction of the local asylum. Stopping outside the door, she cast one of her oldest spells: a life-force tracker, which could be keyed to a certain individual's life-energy signature so long as the caster remembered said signature. It took the form of a translucent arrow hovering over her head, spinning and wobbling like a compass arrow, before then pointing straight at the door. She smirked. Her old prey was in here.

Silent Forest looked up from her romance novel again (damnit, she'd almost reached the first sex scene this time!), to see a new visitor – a unicorn mare, her fur a shade of dull blue slightly darker than Trixie's, with a light-grey mane & tail. She wore a dark grey vest, and as she turned to look around, Forest saw her Cutie Mark – a red heart with three chess pieces in it, two pawns and a queen. Her violet eyes carefully scrutinized everything. Silent felt oddly incapable of speech at the moment, and as the woman's eyes met hers, she felt an inexplicable shudder along her back, and she suddenly felt cold. She felt instinctual relief when the eye contact was broken.

The mysteriously terrifying mare took a few graceful steps further in, walking toward the door to the Teal Ward. She cast her tracking spell again, and the arrow pointed through the door, a little ways to the left.

"U-Um…" Silent Forest spoke up. "I-If you're here to see Ms. Golden Tiara…"

"I am not interested in seeing a broken-minded mud-walker" the mare interrupted; Silent stifled a gasp at the rarely heard and vicious slur toward Earth Ponies. "I'm here to see the worthless nopony of a unicorn who's visiting her."

With that, she walked down the hall, heedless to the staff-member she left behind. As she stared where the scary woman had been, the cogs in Silent Forest's head started turning. This woman looked oddly familiar. And… Trixie had shown several signs of childhood abuse/bullying… Silent's eyes widened as the suspicion took root. Without hesitation, she took off down the employees-only hallway, intent on finding the facility director and the chief of security.

Meanwhile, in the Rec Room, another conversation was wrapping up.

"I've got to go check on somepony" Golden Tiara said. "I'll be back in a few minutes, Trixie. Will you be okay by yourself?"

"Yes, ma'am. I'll wait here."

As Golden walked out the door, Trixie let out a sigh, closing her eyes as she basked in the sunlight streaming in from the nearby little window, her tail curled up around her flank (incidentally hiding its present blankness).

"Maybe… if I follow the light…" she thought aloud. "I can crawl out of this pit I'm in."

"Just the sort of false hope to be expected from someone trapped at rock-bottom."

Trixie jumped, startled, hearing the sudden voice from the door to her left. After a few seconds, she realized that the voice was familiar… _terrifyingly_ familiar. 'It can't be her…' she thought. 'It can't be! Not here! Not now! This is a safe place! She _can't_ be here!'

"Hello, Trixie" the voice said again, dripping with smugness. "It's been a long time, hasn't it cousin?"

Trixie's blood ran cold, and she began trembling. Slowly, she turned her head enough to see who it was, and she felt panic welling up deep within her as her worst fears were realized.

"Ch… Checker…" she whispered/squeaked.

"Trixie…" Checker Monarch purred/hissed in a way that could only be described as predatory. "Fancy meeting you here."

"W-W-What do you want?" Trixie tried to sound brave and unfazed, and failed miserably at that.

"Oh, just checking up on you~" Checker replied with blatantly, transparently false innocence. "I heard you'd messed up again, and I wanted to see just how far you'd fallen." She took in Trixie's unhealthy thinness and the few bandages she could see on the mare's left side. "Rather far, from the looks of it."

"Please, Checker, j-just leave me alone."

Checker scowled. "Are you trying to tell me what to do, Trixie?"

Trixie's eyes widened as fear gripped her heart. "N-N-No! O-Of course not!"

"And yet you don't even have the decency to face me head-on, instead looking at me from the side, out of the corner or your left eye. How disrespectful…"

Checker began to step towards Trixie, who scooted away, still keeping her tail over her flank. Trixie then let out a short scream as she was suddenly telekinetically spun around, her right side now facing Checker. She managed to move her tail to cover that flank in time for Checker to avoid noticing it, but she couldn't hide the bandages that covered the large gash along her right side. Checker looked at her right eye, currently held shut with a fresh scar over it. The eyelids then opened, revealing an obviously-cybernetic eyeball, the very faint sheen to the purple iris surrounding the artificial pupil that contracted slightly like a camera lens. Checker smirked.

"Goodness" she said. "Something certainly did a number on you. …I admire the sophistication of that artificial eye, though; it looks very advanced."

"P-Please leave me alone" Trixie stared at her with an imploring look.

"Why don't you make me? Use that magic of yours to feebly attempt to hold me off. You must've gotten stronger with age; I bet it'll take me almost six seconds to break free of your Bind spell and come at you rather than the old two-and-a-half."

Trixie gulped, and then concentrated, trying to pull up magic. A few sparks raced across her horn, but suddenly she yelped as a blinding pain radiated through her skull. She curled up, head clutched between her forehooves, squinting her eyes and gritting her teeth and trying not to cry out. After several seconds, she opened her eyes… and found Checker's face right in front of hers, horn glowing with a scanning spell. Trixie let out a short scream and backed up against the wall. Checker smirked again as she mentally processed the scan results.

"A psychosomatic total magic block? So your mind's as broken as your body. And…"

Her eyes traveled to Trixie's flank, still covered by her tail. Trixie barely had time to realize what she was looking at, eyes widening in panic, before Checker's telekinesis grabbed hold of her tail and roughly yanked it aside, revealing her bare flank, the faintest, nigh-invisible outline of where her Mark used to be.

Checker laughed openly. "Oh, this is brilliant!" she said. "I always knew you were talentless. And now I've got visual proof! What's the matter, little cousin? Were you wearing a fake Mark all this time? …Or, more likely, did you lose your Mark when you finally realized how worthless you really are?"

The unshed tear that formed in Trixie's eye answered Checker's question. The other mare grinned, her canine teeth bared in a predatory display. She walked forward, and shoved her forehooves against Trixie's injured side, knocking her into the wall, causing the girl to cry out, the impacts making her wound and her malnourishment-fragile ribs ache terribly.

"I always knew, just as you always knew…" Checker said "that you would never amount to anything more than my plaything."

Trixie closed her eyes, whimpering, more tears building in her eyes, pressing herself against the wall in a vain attempt to get away from her monster of a cousin.

"Hey!"

The two turned to the other door, finding a purple-furred Earth Pony mare standing there, glaring at Checker Monarch with cold fury. Trixie immediately bolted for Golden Tiara's side, hyperventilating a little, heart pounding with terror. Golden held the girl close, one hoof rubbing her back in a soothing manner, as her icy stare never left Checker's eyes.

"Who the hell are you?" Checker asked.

"My name is Golden Tiara – wife of Barnyard Bargains CEO Filthy Rich, and one of the ponies unofficially in charge of Trixie's recovery. And I know full well who _you_ are, Checkmate Monarch" she said the name like it were a vile curse.

"I prefer Checker" the other mare replied. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Spare the theatrics, Monarch. I know full well the damage you've dealt to this child."

"Hmph. That's what one is supposed to do with toys – play with them until they're too broken to be of any further entertainment, and then throw them out."

"You treat a living pony as a toy?"

"_All_ living ponies are my playthings, whether they know it or not. Manipulation is such fun, and so easy for me. It is my Special Talent, after all."

"You're a certifiable sociopath."

"Sticks and stones, Ms. Tiara."

Golden stepped forward, placing herself between Checker and Trixie. "I will not allow you to cause Trixie any further harm, physical or emotional. She is under my protection."

Checker chuckled. "And what good does that do? You're a madpony, locked up in an asylum. You can't protect her everywhere all the time. And even if you tried to do anything, tried to report anything… well, whose word will the people take – that of a backwoods madwoman mud-walker, or that of one of the most influential and terrifying mares in all of Canterlot?"

Golden Tiara took a few more steps forward, and then stopped, holding her ground. Checker glared at her, unleashing the gaze that left most ponies terrified wrecks, but Golden matched it. A battle of wills took place, the two participants not noticing as Silent Forest and the facility's director walked in, watching it play out, Silent helping Trixie.

"I have all the power here" Checker said. "I have the prestige, the influence, the money, the intelligence and experience. You, on the other hand, are _nothing_, just like Trixie. You actually think you can protect her from me?" She laughed as she got right up in Golden Tiara's face. "What could you possibly d-"

Outside, a few ponies were walking up toward the facility. Marie looked at Diamond Tiara and Erika, who both smiled back, as Twilight and Filthy Rich walked beside them. They began heading for the door…

*BAM!*

Suddenly, something crashed _through_ one of the walls from inside, thick old wood splintering under the force as the figure tumbled out for several meters, landing in a cloud of dust amongst some bushes. After a few seconds, there was a surge of magical energy that bore an energy signature that could only be called evil, a dark-purple aura blazing around a very, very angry-looking unicorn mare. Her teeth were bared in a snarl, blood dripping from her nose which was quickly magically realigned/healed. Seconds later, another figure calmly walked out through the new hole. Golden Tiara's body was surrounded by a green miasma of energy, her eyes glowing green.

"How dare you…" Checker growled. "How _dare_ you mar my face, you insolent mud-walker?-!"

"Put up or shut up, you heartless, sociopathic bitch" Golden Tiara replied with deceptively calm anger.

Checker conjured several long, thin metal javelin-spikes and then launched them straight at Golden Tiara, already going for a kill. But Golden held her forelimbs out in either direction, and a spherical green barrier encompassed her, which the projectiles bounced off of. She then threw her arms forward, launching the barrier as a focused shockwave that rapidly closed the distance and crashed against a Shield Spell conjured by Checker, knocking her a few steps back.

Checker quickly picked herself up. Her formerly-immaculate hair was wild, and the cold, analytical look in her eyes had been replaced by animalistic rage. Her horn glowed a dark purple, and her entire body was then crackling with Lightning magic, dark-purple sparks arcing across her. She charged, and Golden Tiara rushed forward to meet her. As they got close, they lashed out, forehoofs shrouded in their respective energies as they clashed, making the rocky ground beneath them shatter.

As the two got into a close-combat brawl, the newcomers stared, slack-jawed.

"H-Holy crap, mom…" Diamond Tiara whispered.

"Who is that other mare?" Twilight asked.

"From what I can tell," the mental health facility's director said as he walked up, "she's Miss Trixie's ruthless, black-hearted, sociopathic monster of a cousin, Checker Monarch. She came here via a tracking spell, cornered Trixie and started in on her. Ms. Tiara jumped in to Trixie's defense. After one too many insults, well…"

After a few seconds, one part of that sentence worked itself past Twilight's shock and awe at the fight and into her brain. She turned to the director. "Is Trixie alright? How bad is it?"

The director gestured over to the hole in the wall, where Trixie was being tended to and comforted by Silent Forest and the chief of security, even as all three watched the battle. Meanwhile, watching Golden Tiara's actions, movements, and abilities, Marie's eyes widened.

"Could it be…?" she muttered.

Golden and Checker jumped back from each other. Golden turned to look at a nearby boulder about half as big as she was. She pointed a forehoof at it, and her eyes and hoof glowed green. The rock was enveloped in the same green glow, and when she raised the hoof up the rock floated up with it. She then looked at Checker and threw her hoof forward, launching the boulder at her. Though quite surprised by an Earth Pony apparently displaying telekinesis, Checker shot the offending rock with a focused bolt of lightning, blasting it into pebbles. She then fired a few more bolts at Golden, who dodged some and blocked with a Barrier against others. Golden made an upward sweeping motion with her forelimb at Checker, and a rapid-fire chain of shockwave-blasts raced across the ground toward her, sending her flying several feet before she could react. Checker landed on her hooves, and her body crackled with Lightning magic as she charged again, zigzagging to dodge a few Throw attacks. She got in close, and the melee began again.

However, as the fight went on, it became increasingly clear that Checker Monarch was outmatched. She may have had the skill to defend herself against petty thugs or rough up helpless victims, but against a trained spec-ops soldier, even one who hadn't fought in four years, she was outclassed. Golden Tiara, having picked up on this woman's fighting style, was now easily countering her attacks, dodging or blocking or redirecting, and then dealing her own blows. Checker became increasingly angry as it became increasingly clear she was losing, but there was nothing she could do; Golden was just too good. Finally, Golden landed a series of punishing blows, finishing by enveloping her forehoof in her green energy and backhanding Checker hard enough to send her tumbling several feet.

"Give up, Monarch" Golden Tiara said as her opponent struggled to her feet. "You can't beat me."

Checker snarled like a vicious animal as she took a stance, despite her various aches and wounds. "I will not lose" she said. "I _never_ lose!"

"I have eight years' experience as part of Equestrian Special Ops. You're little more than a bully. It's not hard to figure out who wins in such an engagement."

"I'll have you locked up for the rest of your-"

"There are security cameras throughout out facility" the security chief interrupted as he walked out. "With video _and _audio. And the one in the Rec Room caught your unprovoked attacks on Trixie. No court would convict Ms. Tiara for defending that girl from you."

Twilight and Marie walked up to either side of Golden; Marie's wings flared, and Twilight's horn and eyes glowed with ready magic. Checker suppressed a look of surprise as she recognized Celestia's personal student, one of the most powerful unicorns on the planet, ready to fight her.

"Leave this town," Golden Tiara said, "and never come back. And if any of us ever catch you near Trixie again…"

Twilight took a step forward. In response, Checker telekinetically launched a stone at her face, and then channeled her magic around herself. With a crack of magic, she vanished.

"Teleportation…" Twilight muttered. "Less than 20 unicorns on the planet can pull that off, and most are old masters with decades of experience."

They headed back to the facility, through the hole in the wall and into the Rec Room where everyone else was waiting. Trixie immediately latched onto Golden with a hug. No sooner had she let go then Diamond was right there, gushing about how amazingly cool that had all been. The director, meanwhile, was trying to work out how they were gonna fix the wall as he waited for his turn to congratulate the elder Tiara. And Marie had her own questions to ask the woman…

Several minutes later, as everyone had gone back to their duties, Marie pulled Golden Tiara aside; Trixie, Twilight, Erika, and Diamond were listening in.

"So, those abilities you used in that fight…" Marie said. "Do you know what they are?"

"Um… Not really, actually" Golden replied. "I've had them for a while now, and I've trained with them, but… I don't know what they are. It's not magic, I know that much. And… Celestia thinks it might be linked to this substance that's spread throughout my body. It's from something I was exposed to while in the womb, they think."

Marie brought Charon up, running a scan, and finding several nodules throughout her body, containing a substance that bore a very unique energy signature… and an atomic weight of zero.

"Eezo…" she muttered.

"Pardon?"

"Ma'am, I know what your powers are. You're a Biotic."

"A what?"

"Let me explain. In this one game I like, there's this substance called Element Zero…"

As Marie's explanation went on, shock and surprise filled the listeners. When the visitors left a little while later, Golden Tiara was left to mull over the facts revealed to her. …But first, she needed to eat; whenever she used her 'Biotics', she was always really hungry afterwards.

**-**_**CHAPTER END**_**-**

Next Time: the enemy finds Equestria


	10. Vacation's Over

**PLEASE SEE CHAPTER ONE FOR MOST DISCLAIMERS**

PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE & CHARACTER PAGES

**-**_**CHAPTER START**_**-**

**Next Day – 8:45 AM**

Everyone had gathered at Fluttershy's for breakfast. Suddenly, the card-form Device tucked behind the right ear of Teana's pony form chimed.

"Master" Mirage said. "The timelines have synchronized."

"Meaning…?" Rainbow Dash prodded.

"A combination of magic and slipspace was used to send us here" Teana replied. "It also sent us a couple weeks back in time, multiverse-wise, so not much would happen in our already-been-there realms without us. That sent-back time period is passed; right now, elsewhere in the realms, we just left for this realm. That means that now we can send a report back to Command… and, if need be, they can send people here."

Pinkie gasped. "So that means we could meet all of you girls' friends!"

"If they come here" Shion replied.

"I can't wait to see the rest of our team" Timmy said. "Erio and Caro and Laicixa and Mariko…"

"We'd better get started on the report of what's happened so far" Teana said.

"The report has already been compiled" Mirage replied. "It simply awaits your approval, Master."

"Hmm… Alright. After breakfast, I'll look at it, make any alterations I see fit, and send it on its way."

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Same Day – 8:15 PM**

It was such a calm, peaceful night. The skies were clear, a thin band of orange to the west marking where the Sun had set, the stars twinkling overhead. Ponies were out & about, getting late-day errands finished or just enjoying the night. Everything was peace.

And then the warning klaxons stationed throughout the town, linked to magitech sensors Gamma Team had put up around Ponyville's perimeter, began to go off.

Following the drills they'd all been made to participate in, the townsfolk quickly made for their homes. The extra-dimensional group and the Mane Six (plus Spike and Trixie) came out to see what was going on, meeting up outside Twilight's house, Teana and Marie tapping into the perimeter scanners to see what the trouble was. Marie cursed under her breath.

"We've got Heartless" she said. "And some Unversed, and a few 'Demons' and Nobodies, too. It looks like the Dark Voice and his underlings have found out we're here."

"Alright, girls; set up and get ready!" Teana ordered.

The seven girls of Gamma Team glowed, leaving their pony-form transformations and taking their original forms. Teana summoned her Mjolnir Armor, while Marie conjured her Barrier Jacket, Charon active in Cannon Form over her right arm. Erika and Timmy followed suit, the former summoning her Keyblade Armor. Teana turned to the Local Group.

"Make sure the civilian evac proceeds as planned, and then engage at your discretion. We'll head them off, cut their numbers down."

The Harmony Element bearers nodded and moved out, the injured Trixie and young Spike staying at the library "to guard it" (read: Twilight didn't want her 10-year-old assistant or her just-out-of-the-hospital friend getting involved in any serious fighting). The girls of Gamma spread out, heading for where the sensors had detected the enemy. They didn't have to go far; a worryingly large number of hostiles were just reaching the outer edges of the town. Teana gritted her teeth; there was no way just the nine of them would be able to stop all of these from getting past them and into the town. But they would have to try.

"Cross Mirage, contact Celestia" she ordered her A.I. "Give her a report of the situation, and tell her we may need some help."

As her Device fulfilled her order, Teana launched a Fire-type _Sagitta Magica_ barrage that took down a Type-E Demon and four Soldier-type Heartless. She then switched Mirage to one Longsword and one Pistol, and got to work, beheading a Scrapper while blasting a new hole through a Neoshadow's skull. Not too far away, Ahsoka began carving through more of the dark creatures, her twin emerald energy blades lighting the night. In another section of the front, Erika's Keyblade was cutting a good amount of them down, Timmy supporting her with an M6E pistol and a wrist-mounted plasma dagger.

After a few minutes of fighting, the roar of engines could be heard. Teana looked up, and saw one of Project Corona's dropships. It swung around and touched down, and five ponies in full-body powered armor emerged. The large white-armored Earth Pony with the 'Sigma' symbol on the armor's flanks stepped forward, dealing a blow to a Type-E that killed it in one hit, and then unslung his bladed grenade launcher and started firing. The others, bearing the symbols for Omicron, Theta, Chi, and Epsilon, joined the fight as well.

But the enemy just kept coming.

"Ma'am," Cross Mirage reported, "slipspace rupture detected 1.3 AU out. Scanning… IFF confirmed; the _Starshot_ is present in-system. They have become aware of the situation and are preparing a slipspace micro-jump."

"Excellent!" Marie shouted as she blasted a pack of Type-Gs with Light Beam shots. "Reinforcements!"

Seconds later, there was a loud crack of dispersed air and a flash of blue in the sky overhead, as the 1600-meter vessel emerged around 1,200 meters up. Homing in on Teana's transponder, a slipspace translocation rift formed several feet from her, and out from it emerged 13 armored figures. Agent Washington fired his BR85 at a charging Type-E, gunning it down, while Caboose caught a Large Body's punch, giving Sarge the opportunity to blast it in the head with his shotgun.

"You gals just can't go anywhere without stumblin' into trouble, can ya?" Sarge said.

"Story of our lives!" Mai replied as she used a plasma sword to behead two Type-Gs.

Suddenly, the comm. channel crackled.

"_Is this thing working?_" Twilight's voice was heard. "_Teana, we've got trouble! Quite a few of those things made it into the town, and not everyone's gotten to safety yet! Me, Rarity, and a few volunteers are pushing them back and keeping their heads down as much we can, but we sure could use some help over here!_"

"This is Agent Chi of Project Corona" Indigo Ember replied. "Help's coming, Sparkle. Omicron, with me! Let's go protect the civvies!"

"York, Grif, Caboose, you three and I are going, too!" Texas said.

The six took off, heading into the town and hoping they made it in time.

At Ponyville Mental Hospital, one mare could hear what was going on, thanks to a comm. receiver she'd gotten a hold of. Realizing that it was at long last time to get back in the saddle, she concentrated, calling up her other self. After a few seconds, to her eyes, Screwball materialized in front of her, transparent and with a slight glow.

"Screw…" Golden Tiara said. "It's time."

"_W-What?_" the fragment looked shocked and sad. "_B-But…_"

"I know you don't wanna go. But… you won't really be going anywhere. …I'm incomplete like this, Screwball. You're a part of me. But… in a way, I'm part of you, too. If you come back to me, you be part of a whole pony again."

"_But I won't really __**be**__ anymore, Goldie…_"

"Don't you want our friends to be safe? Don't you want Trixie and Diamond to be safe?"

"…_M-More than anything._"

"Please… I promise I'll never forget you."

The fragment took a deep breath, and when she opened her eyes she looked calmer and more focused than ever. "_All right. Let's get this done._"

She walked up to Golden, the two touching hooves.

"_I'll miss you_" Screwball said as her 'body' began to glow. "_I'll miss existing, having my own mind, being able to come out and have crazy fun. But… I know this is for the best for you. Goodbye, Goldie._"

"Goodbye, Screw" Golden replied.

The translucent figure closed her eyes, and she vanished, returning to where she'd come from.

(IMAGE: A brain that is styled like a jigsaw puzzle; all but one of the pieces are in place. The final piece then slides into place, and with a flash of light the seams between pieces disappear, leaving a single, whole thing.)

Golden Tiara closed her eyes as she felt the last bit of her mind finally reintegrate. Emotions and thoughts raced through her for a few seconds before subsiding. Her ears twitched as she heard the sounds of clawed feet skulking around outside her door. She opened her eyes, which now glowed green. She focused on the door in front of her, and thrusted her forehoof forward.

Soft Thunder cowered behind her desk, as several of the facility's security fended off the little black creatures with glowing-yellow eyes that had literally crawled out of the shadows and started attacking her and anyone else in the lobby. The security chief bucked one of them mid-leap, sending it to splat into the far wall, dispersing into darkness particles as it slid down. Suddenly, there was a rumble from down one of the halls, and a few thuds. Several seconds later, the Shadows in the lobby suddenly found themselves being drawn up toward a swirling black sphere with green energy surrounding it that formed in the middle of the room; the dark creatures flailed helplessly in midair as the artificial gravity field hoisted them up. A pony then leapt in, dealing crushing blows to them in midair, dispelling them. She landed, her Singularity dispelling.

"G-Golden Tiara?" Soft Thunder said. "Isn't this normally a time of night where you let Screwball have the reins?"

Golden looked at her. "Screwball's gone, Soft" she replied. "Or rather, she returned to where she came from. I'm whole again."

Soft gasped as she realized what Golden was saying.

"Can you boys hold the fort here?" Golden asked the security personnel.

"Sure thing, ma'am" the chief replied. "But what about you?"

"…I'm going to go and help defend my home. Thank you for taking care of me these last four years, Soft, you guys. But now it's time for me to be the one taking care of ponies again."

With that, she walked out the front door, and then took off running for the heart of the town. As she ran, she positioned the comm. device and activated it.

"This is Agent Gamma of Project Corona" she reported. "I am on station and ready to assist."

"_Goldie?-!_" Azure and Indigo said simultaneously.

"Yep, it's me. I'm all better now; just convinced the last fragment of my mind to reintegrate. I'm ready to do my part defending my home. Just tell me where to go."

"…_Head for the post office_" Indigo Ember said. "_I've got something for ya, sis._"

Back at the main front, the defending group continued to keep the enemy forces occupied. A Sangheili Phantom flew in, and from its grav-lift emerged an Mgalekgolo pair. The two Hunters brought their cannons to bear and fired, green death incinerating many Heartless. Sarah threw a plasma grenade, killing a Type-E, while a Saber Throw from Ahsoka and a Strike Raid from Erika took out a pair of Invisibles. A DMR shot from Agent Florida killed two Type-Gs, while North's sniper rifle took out a Stealth Sneak via an eye-shot.

"_This is UNSC Colonel Urban Holland to defending forces. Spartan-117 has just arrived from the _Infinity_ via translocation link and is on his way down to assist._"

"Affirmative, sir" Teana replied. "Glad to hear it."

"_I'm sending him into the city to help clear it out; you folks on the front line will have to settle with two Pelicans full of marines._"

The redhead smirked. "I think we can manage with that."

Near the post office, Twilight Sparkle fired another blast of magic at a Neoshadow, destroying it. She turned and noticed four more rushing at her… only for a green shockwave to smash into them from the side, knocking them away. The pony responsible ran up, taking position beside her. Twilight looked shocked.

"Mrs. Tiara?" she asked.

"Hey, Twilight" Golden said. "Looks like I finished repairing my mind just in time, huh?"

Two Type-Es ran at them… only for one to fall as a high-velocity round tore through its head. Indigo Ember, Agent Chi, leapt down from the nearby roof, firing his sniper rifle mid-fall, scoring a perfect shot right through the other Type-E's eye. He walked up to his sister.

"Lift your hoof, sis" he said as he pulled from his subspace storage pocket a small metallic-purple ring with a green Gamma symbol on it. Golden grinned and held out her right forehoof, and he telekinetically slipped it on. She then pressed the symbol, focusing her will. Twilight shielded her eyes as a flash of light enveloped Golden Tiara. When it faded, she stood in her personal powered-armor, the big green Gamma symbol on the armor's flanks contrasting with the purple plating, the green visor over her eyes reflecting the light from the nearby streetlamp.

"Oh, yeah" she said. "It feels good to be back. Got anything for me to shoot with?"

"Here" Twilight said as she pulled from her saddlebag an advanced-looking contraption, silver with a reddish-orange glow from within. "Wrist-mounted plasma-caster, configured for a pony. Just a little something Gamma Team's been working on. They gave it to me, but… well, I think you'll make better use of it."

Golden nodded as she snapped the device into place on her left wrist. "I'll be sure to put it through its paces" she said. "Thanks, Twilight."

Just then a Scrapper came charging at them. Golden pointed her new weapon and fired, and a bolt/blast of red-orange plasma flew out and nailed the Scrapper in the face, burning/blasting about half of its head off.

"Whoa. This thing packs a wallop! I like it!"

"According to testing," Twilight said, "each blast is the equivalent of three bolts from a Sangheili Type-25 Directed Energy Rifle. It's semiautomatic and can fire at up to two rounds per second, and has an effective range of about 30 meters. This prototype has access to a subspace ammunition foundry and storage for its plasma, like Teana's Device's plasma-bolt mode, though if we end up mass-producing it we probably won't be able to do that for all of them. Let us know how it performs!"

"Okay, now that you're ready to rock," Azure Feather said from atop a nearby roof, "let's go bust some heads and be heroes!"

Indigo Ember chuckled. "The old trio's back together again…"

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the city, a pack of Shadows and Soldiers had cornered a unicorn mare and her two little children. Suddenly, a frag grenade flew in and blew half of them away. A tan-armored biped ran in, firing his shotgun at the dazed survivors, quickly cutting them down. He turned to the family.

"You folks alright?" York asked.

"W-Who are you, mister?" the little colt asked. "What are you two-legs we've seen fighting those things?"

"We're the good aliens, here to save you from the bad aliens" York replied. "…Well, technically they aren't aliens; they're creatures of raw Darkness, but… eh, semantics. Anyway, you guys had better hurry on home, or someplace else safe. My friends and I will get rid of the monsters."

The mother nodded in thanks, and then she & her children took off running, keeping an eye out for any more of the dark creatures. York watched them go, making sure they got away safely, and then headed out to hunt down some more hostiles.

The fighting continued for a little while longer. The enemy forces attacking the outskirts lessened while those inside the town's borders focused their efforts, so Gamma, Blood-Gulch, and Lancer Teams, along with the Corona agents and Timmy & Erika, were redirected into the city, leaving the marine squads to deal with the increasingly-small attacks from the outskirts. They eventually corralled the surviving hostiles near city hall, and systematically picked them apart with superior numbers and positions. The last Type-E fell to a pistol round from Tex.

"Things seem to be mostly clear now" Shion said.

"Any fatalities?" the Chief asked.

"Not from what we're hearing, no" Agent Chi replied.

Suddenly, a Dark Gateway formed a little off to the side from everyone, and they all readied themselves.

"_**Now it is time for you to meet my newest and fiercest warrior**_" the Dark Voice was heard. "_**Rescued from the brink of death, and imbued with a fragment of my essence. My assistance, along with his ferocity and cunning, shall enable him another chance to gain the power and revenge that he seeks.**_"

The black vortex subsided, revealing an armored figure crouched down. He slowly stood up to his imposing full height, and fear gripped the hearts of those who recognized him. White armor with bits of black and dark purple…

"Y-You've gotta be fucking kidding…" Tucker said, slowly backing away with unconcealed terror in his body language.

A reflective golden visor…

"We're all gonna die…" Grif whimpered.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit…" Marie was trembling, eyes wide.

An unholy snarl…

_Plagam Extremam Infligere!_

The figure looked around, focusing his gaze on Grif and the large weapon magnetically clamped to his back. Then, with a growl, The Meta charged.

"_FUCK!-!_" Grif screamed, pulling the Brute Shot out and firing as fast as he could. The Meta simply strafed to dodge them, growing ever closer. However, he was then blindsided by a clothesline from the Master Chief, knocking him away and giving Grif the chance to get some distance. The Meta rolled with the blow, landing on his feet, and he then rushed at the Chief with surprising speed, but the Spartan blocked his punch… and felt surprise as the blow pushed him back, made his arm ache even with his armor, and near-totally drained his shields. No doubt about it; The Meta was as strong as him.

The Chief grabbed hold of the Meta's forearm and pulled him in for an elbow strike to the face, but the Meta twisted out of the way, wrenching himself free and then lashing out with a low sweep-kick which the Chief jumped back from. He lunged with another attack, only for the Meta to block and counter. As the two armored warriors flew into a fast-paced duel, matching blow for blow, the observers felt a mixture of shock and fear upon realizing that, either from already being that good or from the Dark Voice's boost, the Meta was actually an _equal match_ for the Master Chief; the best of the Spartans could only break even with this monster!

John-117 frowned in his helmet. While the Meta wasn't quite as fast as he was, it was made up for in durability, ferocity, and raw strength; it was like sparring with Samuel, except Sam never tried to kill him. He knew, from the written reports and from the Blood-Gulchers' testimony, that he was dealing with a dangerous power-hungry psychopath who was far more cunning than his animalistic nature would make one think; The Meta was a rabid, murderous beast, but an intelligent and resourceful one. He'd have to be extremely careful; a slip-up could cost him his life.

The fight went on for several minutes, the two forgetting the others' presence as they tried to kill each other. While the Master Chief proved unable to get past the Meta's defenses and gain an upper hand, so too did the Meta prove incapable of besting the Chief. It was a stalemate. Finally, the Meta, his frustration peaking, jumped back and summoned a pack of Heartless. However, the others had been standing back only so as to not interrupt a fair one-on-one fight. The Meta's summoning of underlings meant that it was no longer one-on-one, and thus that the Chief's allies were free to jump in. As he narrowly avoided being decapitated by Ahsoka, the Meta realized his folly. He used his Bubble Shield to withstand a Crossfire Shot from Teana, and then formed a Dark Portal which he then leapt through, escaping and leaving his summoned Heartless to be butchered.

With the town finally cleared, everyone caught their breath and checked each other over.

"I can't believe he's back…" Marie said. "The Dark Voice brought the Meta back from the dead."

"Actually, he said he rescued the Meta from the brink of death" Sarge replied. "That means that even though we ran that sumbitch through with a plasma sword, blasted him with a shotgun, and chucked him over a 400-foot cliff into 34-degree water, he _still_ wasn't dead. Dying, but not dead."

"And now he's got a power-up" Church said. "Just great; as if he wasn't a one-man army group already…"

"H-He actually took on the Master fuckin' Chief and matched him blow for blow" Tucker said, still slightly disbelieving. "Was he always that skilled?"

"He _was_ on the Freelancer leader board…" Carolina replied. "But even then, Tex was number one on the board, but the Chief beat her in a spar earlier today."

"Not easily, to her credit" the Master Chief chimed in.

"So now, in addition to everything else," Teana said, "we've got The Meta in top form against us. Who're they gonna throw at us next?"

"Necromorphs?" Marie suggested.

"We've fought the Flood" Teana replied. "They'd be nothing new."

"Frieza?" Shion said.

"Nanoha-san or Naruto-kun in Sage Mode would flatten him."

"Covenant Remnant?" Simmons said.

"The Dark Voice has humans in his employ, so the Covvies probably won't wanna work with him. Plus, he's Xel'Naga, not Forerunner."

"We'll have to wait and see" Twilight said. "And hope it isn't too big."

"For now, we should focus on cleanup, make sure nobody's seriously hurt" Sarah said. "And there's no way we'll be able to avoid having to explain _everything_ to the locals."

"My team and I had better head up to the _Starshot_ and report to Colonel Holland and Shipmaster Arum" Teana said.

"W-We'll come, too" Erika said, Timmy standing beside her.

"The Princesses are wrapping up what duties they presently have" Indigo Ember said. "At least, that's the message I just got. They'll join you as soon as they can."

"I'm coming up as well" the Master Chief said. "I need to get to the _Starshot_'s translocation terminal and get back to the _Infinity_. We're tracking a lead on the rogue Sangheili terrorist Parg Vol."

"Anything new?" Teana asked.

"He's not working alone. Besides his subordinates, he has either a partner or a superior. We don't know who yet, though."

"We'll stay here and assure the townsfolk that everything's all right" Twilight said.

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

_**Starshot **_**- Bridge**

**15 Minutes Later**

"Gamma Team reporting, sir."

Colonel Urban Holland turned around to see the seven girls of Gamma Team standing at attention.

"At ease" he said. "From what I've read, you girls have had an interesting couple of weeks."

"You could say that, sir" Marie replied with a grin.

"Indeed. I just got the report from Agent Washington concerning The Meta, how he was apparently rescued and empowered by the Dark Voice. This is worrying; if even half the things I've heard about the Meta are true…"

"They are, sir" Teana replied. "Unfortunately. …Has the word about Celestia's discovery been spread yet?"

"About the dramatically-slowed aging rate for dimensional travelers? Yes. Keep in mind that, for us, it's been less than a day; a lot of people are still in shock. But most seem to be dealing with it by just… not thinking about it."

"That's pretty much how we've been managing, too" Shion replied. "Though knowing our loved ones who've made the journey are also affected makes it easier."

The oral report lasted around 10 minutes, the girls outlining what they could so far to Holland and Arum. At that time, a sphere of golden light suddenly formed in the bridge, expanding to about seven feet across, and then faded to reveal Celestia, Luna, and Cadence. Holland dismissed Gamma, allowing them to do as they will while the three Princesses added what info they could and started setting up formal diplomatic stuff. As the girls headed for their quarters, they found Erika, Timmy, Mariko, Erio, and Caro in a "cuddle-puddle" on one of the lounge's couches. On the other side of the lounge were Aqua, Ginga, and Subaru, who waved them over.

"Where's the rest of Sigma Team?" Mai asked.

"Mana's presently on her homeworld with the Eva pilots for a couple of days," Ginga replied, "Asa is on a minor mission with a couple others, and Kaede – Kanade, that is – is with Kōta-san at the moment."

"Hey, girls" Vice greeted as he walked in, Satoshi and Kizuna following behind him. "We heard you've had an interesting couple of weeks without us."

"We've got The Meta on the loose now," Satoshi said, "and that 'Checker' character; I have a feeling we may not have seen the last of her."

"But at least we have some powerful new allies, too" Kizuna chimed in.

"So…" Vice said as he walked up to Teana and Sarah. "What now?"

"We let the higher-ups sort out diplomatic stuff and the fact that we've been revealed to the pony public" Teana replied, not resisting as Sarah pulled her and Vice close. "Those worries are above our pay grade for the moment."

"At least the locals seem open-minded" Vice said as Sarah leaned against him while he put his arm around Teana's waist.

"Yeah" Ginga added as she latched on to Sarah's free arm while Subaru clung to Teana. "It could've been worse, as First Contact scenarios go."

"As the UNSC can attest…" Satoshi said as he sat down in a chair, Shion quickly claiming his lap as her seat.

"Let's just hope the Dark Voice doesn't throw anything really major at us here" Kizuna said from his position in Mai's lap. "This world is so… pristine. I'd hate to see it wrecked by a full-scale daemon horde or something."

Ahsoka, seeing all the snuggling and knowing what would come after, felt a little left out. But then she turned toward one of the doors and saw Nodoka peek in, meet her eyes, give a certain type of smile, and then walk away, and she was alright again.

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Same Night – 10:35 PM**

**Tiara/Rich Residence**

Golden Tiara let out a sigh as, for the first time in four years, she lay in her own bed. After the battle, tests and a psy-scan had confirmed that her mind had finally, fully reintegrated, and she was cleared to be discharged from the facility. Diamond had literally wept with joy, not leaving her side until she was too tired to stay awake any longer. Now, as Golden snuggled up with her husband for the night, she went to sleep with a smile on her face.

She was back. She was whole again. She was home.

**-**_**CHAPTER END**_**-**

Next Time: A giant monster, and Scootaloo's troubles


	11. Hunt

Sorry for the wait; I had some nasty writer's block for this chapter.

**PLEASE SEE CHAPTER ONE FOR MOST DISCLAIMERS**

PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE & CHARACTER PAGES

**-**_**CHAPTER START**_**-**

**Next Day – 9:30 AM**

Explanations to Ponyville's citizens went surprisingly well. Granted, they were used to weird crap happening around their little town, so this whole thing wasn't too out of the ordinary. With Celestia and Mayor Mare's permission, the coalition was already setting up an outpost along the outer edges of the town, close to the Everfree Forest (mainly so they could keep an eye on anything hostile trying to come out of it). Even though they'd been publicly revealed, Gamma Team and Erika & Timmy still spent just as much time in their pony forms as in their real human forms, mainly to help the locals be more comfortable with them.

In addition, a few of the newly-arrived group members had joined them in acquiring pony forms; Subaru had the transformation of a blue-maned white pegasus with a Cutie Mark of a shield with Mach Caliber's gem set into its center, Caro was a cute little pink pegasus filly with a pair of dragon wings for a Cutie Mark, Erio was a red-maned off-white unicorn colt with a lightning-bolt Cutie Mark, Mariko was an Earth Pony (well, besides her horns) with light-pink mane and darker-pink coat and a still-blank flank (usually hidden for the same reason as Erika), and Aqua's transformation was a regal-looking unicorn with sky-blue fur and darker-blue mane & tail with the Mark of Mastery as her Cutie Mark.

Corona Agents Chi, Omicron, and Sigma were stationed at Ponyville for the time being; they and Gamma were already swapping stories with Project Freelancer's on-site operatives. Azure Feather and Rainbow Dash got along quite well, while Applejack was surprised to meet a pony who talked (slightly) less than her brother in Steely Stare. Golden Tiara's recovery was a major topic around town, and she had already gotten back into her old routine, both as a wife & mother… and as Agent Gamma.

However, things weren't all sunshine and roses. That morning, Zecora brought disturbing news: whilst exploring the Everfree Forest, she had found several creatures – a Manticore, a Timber-wolf pack, even a cockatrice – dead. Their bodies bore no wounds; they were simply… dead. What's more, there were trails in the forest – stirred-up ground, crushed plants, even a tree knocked over. And they were from something big. Now, the main group sat gathered at Rarity's boutique, going over what they knew.

"I just don't know" Twilight said. "What could kill those creatures without leaving any marks on their bodies? Fluttershy, do you have any idea?"

"N-Not really" the timid pegasus replied. "There's nothing I can think of that lives in the forest that could do that."

"What do we know about the tracks?" Teana asked.

"Other than that they're from something humongous?" Rainbow Dash replied. "Not a lot, unfortunately."

Suddenly, Teana's comm. device chirped. She activated it, and Col. Holland's hologram appeared.

"_Gamma-1, we have something of a situation_" he said. "_Recently, one of our patrols into the forest failed to report back. We sent another fireteam out to find them, and instead we found their bodies – four UNSC soldiers, completely unharmed yet dead as a doornail. There were a few spent shell casings, but nowhere near enough to account for any serious fight._"

"Sir, the local shaman recently reported finding several local creatures in the same state" Teana replied. "Whoever or whatever is out there, it's somehow able to kill without causing physical harm. And, judging by the evidence, it's big. We were planning on linking up with Shaman Zecora and helping her investigate. …Knowing that it killed a UNSC fireteam just as effortlessly as it did those other creatures, I think we'll be going in heavily armed."

"_Roger that. I'll inform the Alicorns, and we'll keep an eye on you all. Be very, very careful._"

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Everfree Forest**

**Same Day – 10:45 AM**

The odd group advanced through the forest trail – the "Mane Six" (Trixie was still in no shape to go adventuring), Zecora, Gamma Team (in normal forms, weapons ready), and Aqua & Subaru (also in human forms). They kept their eyes peeled, and Teana had a few Area Search drones scouting the area. This part of the forest was eerily quiet; the normal sounds of nature were disturbingly absent.

Suddenly, Fluttershy saw something up ahead, and ran to investigate, the others following behind. They found the pegasus staring, eyes watering, at the scene before her: the lifeless bodies of many creatures – a flock of birds, a family of squirrels, a mated pair of wolves, a bear – littered the forest floor. Nearby was a trail gouged into the ground, where whatever was responsible had moved on. Rainbow Dash put a wing around her friend, who was trembling at the sight of so much death.

"One of my Area Search drones just found something nearby" Teana suddenly reported. "It's along this trail. Follow me."

She jogged off, the others following in her wake, as she ran along the mysterious creature's trail – towards where it had come from, judging by the direction the plants were bent. She stopped as she found what her drone had spotted: a massive, semi-transparent tube, loose on the forest floor against a boulder. It was humongous, at least 90 feet long. Upon closer inspection, it was made of hundreds of hand-sized interlocking scales.

"Like something shed its skin…" she murmured. She then called up her comm.

"This is UNSC Gamma-1 calling Corona Operative Digamma" she used Celestia's callsign. "Come in, Digamma."

"_What have you found, Lanstar?_" Celestia's voice replied.

"Something big, ma'am. Transmitting a visual now."

As the rest caught up and saw the massive object, Teana projected Celestia's image over a two-way holo-screen, allowing her to see it. They saw as she stared long and hard at it, an expression of concentration and deep thought on her face… that slowly shifted to one of realization and utter horror.

"_By Father…_" she said, eyes wide. "_It can't be. …But there's no other explanation._"

"W-What is it, Princess?" Twilight asked.

"_Something worse than I feared_" Celestia replied. "_Something that poses a tremendous threat. …There haven't been any reports of one surfacing anywhere near an inhabited area for over 400 years. But with all the evidence we have – the trails, the bodies, and now this… there's only one thing it could be._"

"What sort of creature could do all this?" Rarity asked.

"_One of the most terrifying and dangerous creatures to ever exist on this planet._" Celestia swallowed, almost as if merely saying what she was about to was a struggle. "_A… A basilisk._"

Twilight went deathly pale, and Fluttershy almost passed out.

"A what?" Applejack asked.

"A b-basilisk…" Twilight replied, a terrified tremor in her voice. "As Celestia says, it's one of, if not _the_, most dangerous creatures on this entire planet. It's a species of massive and monstrous draconic serpent, with a lifespan of nearly 1,000 years and capable of reaching over 90 feet in length."

"T-Their scales are tough enough to withstand anything short of an anti-vehicle weapon," Fluttershy said, "as well as being heavily resistant to magic, like a dragon's scales. Their venom is enough to kill a full-grown stallion within two minutes… if the stallion in question doesn't first die from the sheer physical trauma of being stabbed by a foot-long fang. But what makes them most dangerous is their eyes."

"Their eyes?" Aqua asked.

"Anything that looks at a basilisk's eyes indirectly," Twilight said, "like through a camera lens or in a reflection, is petrified, like a cockatrice. But… any living thing that makes direct eye contact with a basilisk dies instantly. There's no defense or softening the blow, and not even dragons or Ursas are immune; Celestia has said that not even she would survive. Phoenixes are the only living things immune to it, but I don't exactly see one around. If you look a basilisk in the eye, you simply drop dead right then & there. It's some form of ancient and extremely powerful dark magic that is a natural part of their biology. …Strangely enough, though, you can look at a photograph of one's eyes and not be affected at all, though the photographer will likely be either killed or petrified."

Everyone was silent as they processed just how big a threat they were faced with.

"…So how do we kill it?" Teana asked.

"From orbit?" Marie suggested.

"_That's Plan B_" Celestia replied over the comm. "_And yes, I'm completely serious._"

"Well, I guess if we find it, we can always hit it with Starlight Breaker or something" Teana said. "As long as it's not too close to the forest, that is. If it is… well, we'll think of something. Come on, folks; let's go huntin'!"

"_Be careful_" Celestia said. "_I can't come along; too busy hammering out diplomatic stuff with the coalition. I'll see if I can send some help your way if you need it, though. Celestia out._"

The commlink closed, and the group moved on, everyone keeping their senses sharp, as they followed the basilisk's trail. Aqua and Teana led, the former already in her Keyblade Armor and the latter in her Barrier Jacket. They followed the trail for about 15 minutes before they reached a large clearing, around 400 feet across, a handful of rock formations and very large boulders 'sprouting' out from the grass. But then they noticed that one of them was breathing.

The coiled-up resting serpent stirred, slowly rising up, and the group immediately realized that it had been changed. Its scales were a deep black, a pair of (proportionately) thin, almost Zerg-like blade-bearing limbs unfolded from its sides near its head area, four long, sharp horns jutted backward from its skull, and a snapshot from an Area Search drone was projected in front of the group, revealing four glowing yellow eyes rather than the two not-glowing yellow eyes seen in the illustration Twilight had shown the group. Lastly, normal basilisks had never been seen over 95 feet in length, according to Twilight, but this one was around 130 feet.

"Oh, that's just great" Ahsoka said. "The Dark Voice has upgraded it."

"Well, this is gonna suck even more than I feared it would" Marie said.

As the massive Darkness-enhanced serpent turned around to face them, everyone averted their eyes from its face.

"If you have to look at it, focus on its tail" Twilight said. "Try to rely on tracking it by its shadow, or by your other senses. Also, the Deadly Gaze only works if you make direct eye contact with it; if its eyes are in your field of vision but you're not looking at them, you should be fine, like how you can have the Sun in your field of vision and not hurt your eyes unless you look at it. And whatever you do, don't let it bite you; the venom's so powerful, you'll be dead in minutes."

"We should try destroying its eyes" Sarah said. "Back home, there's a book I've read where the main character killed a basilisk thanks to its eyes being gouged out. …But then, that was done by a phoenix, and we don't have one on hand…"

"We'll think of something" Aqua replied.

The Darkness-enhanced basilisk let out a sound that was like a fusion of a hiss and a roar, and lunged at the group with startling speed. Everyone scattered, barely avoiding being crushed by its armored skull or skewered by its new blade-tipped limbs. Aqua fired a Prism Rain barrage as she moved, but the magical bolts did almost nothing against the massive creature's magic-resistant scales. The creature's eyes then glowed a brilliant blue as electricity sparked along its horns, and it then loosed bolts of lightning at the group; Twilight, Mai, and Aqua cast shield-spells to block the attack.

"I'm guessing normal basilisks can't shoot lightning?" Shion shouted to Twilight.

"No, they can't!" Twilight replied.

The attack cut off, the dark creature's eyes' glow returning to gold. It then got its head rocked upward by a 200-mph rising blow to the chin from Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow Dash hissed in pain, shaking the pain out of her hooves. "Jeez, that felt like hitting a steel wall! What's this thing made of?-!"

She then narrowly avoided a swing from one of the Dark Basilisk's blades, and flew up just in time to see a large fireball – a _Katon: Gōkakyū_ from Kaede – smash into the beast's side. The dark creature hissed/roared, as a comparatively-small scorch mark was now visible where the fireball had struck. Several thrown kunai with explosive tags wrapped around them crashed against the armored scales on its neck, detonating in a cascade of explosions. The Dark Basilisk lashed out with its tail, and Sarah & Applejack barely avoided being crushed.

The massive dark creature then, by sheer chance, moved its head in just the way to avoid losing an eye to a Saber Throw from Ahsoka, the energy blade instead slicing a burning gash into its right cheek. It turned its attention to the Togrutan, its eyes shifting to blue as electricity crackled around its horns. It fired a cascade of electrical power, and Ahsoka cast Force Lightning, the two forces clashing at the halfway point, Ahsoka keeping her eyes shut even as she strained against the attack. The Dark Basilisk hissed/growled as it leaned forward, pushing its attack more, and Ahsoka began to lose ground.

"_Raikiri_!"

The basilisk's attack abruptly cut off, as the beast reared back, screeching in pain and fury. There were now only three glowing lights upon its head, blood and Darkness particles streaming from its destroyed inner-right eye. The individual responsible stood crouched, his hand still crackling with Lightning chakra, left eye uncovered.

"Kakashi-san?" Teana ran over to him. "What are you doing here?"

"I stopped by at the ship to participate in the diplomatic stuff" he replied. "But then Celestia-sama mentioned to me the situation you girls are in, and I decided my talents were of better use here."

"Excellent timing, sir" Ahsoka said as she came closer. "One eye down, three to go."

"Nice entrance, dude" Rainbow Dash said as she landed beside Hatake, looking up at him. "…Huh. You're taller than I thought."

"I get that a lot" the shinobi replied, a grin behind his mask.

"Kakashi-san, I think you've pissed it off!" Subaru called out, as the Dark Basilisk turned toward Kakashi and those near him, horns crackling with electrical energy.

Everyone scattered just before an explosive burst of Lightning magic hit where they'd been standing. Teana took to the air, firing Crossfire Shots that did little more than annoy the massive magic-resistant creature. Switching Cross Mirage to fire .45-caliber SAP-HE rounds had much the same effect, the anti-personnel rounds bouncing off of the Dark Basilisk's tank-armor-grade scales. A smoke bomb thrown by Mai briefly blinded and disoriented the creature, forcing it to cancel its lightning attack. As Teana flew over the beast, she noticed something.

"Hey, somebody throw another smoke bomb!" she shouted. "At its head!"

Kakashi obliged, as Teana got on the Dark Basilisk's left side. The roiling smoke obscured the creature's head, and Teana confirmed her suspicion: she could look directly at where its eyes were so long as they were hidden by smoke, even though she could see the yellow glow through the smoke. Quickly taking the opportunity, she switched Mirage to Sniper Mode, aimed at the center of one of the glows, and fired. She was rewarded by one of the two glows vanishing, along with a screech of pain from the beast as a supersonic particle beam tore its outer-left eye apart. The red mage responsible then dove out of the way to avoid a blind-fired lightning burst.

"Two down!" she reported.

There was a surge of power as Subaru called upon the 7-Tailed Wolf's power, her body flaring with an aura of deep-blue chakra. She made a chakra-powered leap onto the Dark Basilisk's upper back, and lashed out with a supercharged punch that actually fractured some of the scales. She then leapt away before the creature could retaliate, just as a telekinetically-launched boulder from Twilight smashed into the back of its head, snapping one of its horns off. The beast unleashed another lightning-burst, this one slightly weaker and less focused, and Rarity & Marie were able to easily dodge.

Kakashi dove to the side, avoiding a downward stab of one of the Dark Basilisk's blade-limbs. He then focused his gaze on the limb, and released a _fūma shuriken_ from the pocket dimension of _Kamui_, the weapon seemingly materializing out of his eye, crackling with Lightning chakra that enhanced it, and spinning through the air, severing the beast's spiked/clawed limb. Blood and Darkness flowed out from the stump, the latter quickly acting to form a 'clot' to stop further blood loss. Aqua, air-lifted by Rainbow Dash and then dropped, let loose a well-aimed Strike Raid as she fell, hitting and destroying the Dark Basilisk's remaining left-side eye. The beast screeched/roared and lashed out at her with its remaining limb, only to hit a Reflega spell that deflected its attack.

A Saber Throw from Ahsoka severed the remaining limb, and the Dark Basilisk then blasted her with lightning again, only this time she was able to match it. Distracted as it was by the clash, the Dark Basilisk failed to notice the charging purple light off to its right side. While focusing her gaze on a spot on the beast's neck, Marie aimed Charon at its last remaining eye, locking on. She injected a Magic Cartridge, and a Super-Missile shot out, streaking through the air and impacting the Dark Basilisk's last eye, destroying it and blowing a 'small' chunk out of the surrounding skull. The dark creature, realizing it was now completely blind, thrashed and raged, lashing out with its tail and blasting lightning in every direction.

"All right!" Shion cried. "So much for that danger!"

"Don't let your guard down!" Fluttershy shouted. "Basilisks have highly-developed senses of smell and hearing! It'll still be able to fight!"

"But snakes don't have ears!" Marie shouted.

"It's a giant magical snake with an instant-death gaze – well, formerly – and that can shoot lightning!" Twilight replied. "Is the ability to hear really that startling compared to those?"

Indeed, the massive creature had more or less regained its composure, tongue flickering as it sniffed the air, head tilting slightly as it used its formidable sense of hearing to attempt to locate its prey. However, it was still caught off-guard as Subaru made a chakra-powered leap up onto its head, and then struck down with a _Shichibi_-enhanced Vibration Shatter, heavily fracturing the armored scales atop its head while also damaging and weakening the skull beneath. It roared and shook its head, dislodging Subaru, who landed feet-first. Teana flew upward, bringing her Device to bear and beginning to charge power.

The beast took a _Gōkakyū_ to the face from Kakashi, singing its scales and angering it further. The shinobi then quickly dodged the retaliatory lightning bolt. Sarah ran up the beast's back, Gravity Hammer drawn, and swung, taking off another of its horns. She jumped off to avoid a surge of Lightning energy, right before a charged Plasma Beam shot from Marie hit it in the face. At a telepathic signal from Teana, dozens of magical tendrils – magenta, purple, and orange – sprang up, suddenly binding the creature's head in place as Twilight, Marie, and Teana cast Struggle Bind. Shion cast Void Prison, further stilling the beast. Teana pointed her Device down, aiming for the damaged scales where Subaru's attack had hit.

"Attack set to minimum spread, maximum focus" Cross Mirage reported. "Armor-piercing variant of Divine Buster charged and ready to fire."

"Fire!" Teana commanded.

The red-orange beam of magic, tightly focused into slightly less than half its normal width, raced down, zeroing in on the cracked scales atop the Dark Basilisk's head. Upon impact, it quickly bored through the creature's fractured skull and its brain, punching its way out through the lower jaw. The mighty creature was killed nigh-instantly. The bind spells released it, and it toppled to the ground with a mighty thud, a few post-mortem twitches wracking its body as the Dark Voice's power left it, particles of Darkness flowing out and fading away. Teana landed down near everyone, as they relaxed.

"Excellent work" Kakashi said. "An A-Rank mission completed with no fatalities."

"That's probably because there were so many of us contributing" Twilight replied. "A team of only three or four would've almost certainly suffered casualties."

"With a team effort, the beast is still" Zecora said. "Let us return home and report our kill."

"…We're sure it's dead, right?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"No neural activity detected in hostile target" Cross Mirage replied. "Barring physical mutations, no daemonic influence is present. Vital organ systems shutting down due to lack of signals from now-silent central nervous system. Target is confirmed deceased."

"So chill, Dash" Teana said. "It's dead as a doornail."

"Teana"

"Yes, Kakashi-san?"

"I was wondering if you had a few days' free time. I'd like to teach you something."

"What is it?"

"Only a bearer of Obito's eyes can use _Kamui_ to its full extent, as in taking oneself into the pocket dimension. But I believe I could teach you how to use it to transport other objects – including living beings – to & from the subspace realm of _Kamui_."

The girl's eyes widened in surprise and a little anticipation. "Really?"

He nodded. "You already know how to send things there, as I've seen. But you could learn to eject objects of your choosing, like what I did with that _fūma shuriken_. You could even transport people – say, take your team into the realm, infiltrate an enemy stronghold, and then release your team right in the spot where you & they can do the most damage. …Though I should warn you: the more mass you're sending to or from the _Kamui_ realm, the more chakra it takes. Not to mention that, when dealing with a living being, doing it with an unwilling subject takes more chakra than with a voluntary one."

"I'll take that offer, sir. Name the time & place."

The group headed back, discussing various things, leaving the corpse of the Dark Basilisk behind them.

**-**_**CHAPTER END**_**-**

Sorry it's a little short, but I figure y'all have been waiting long enough. NEXT TIME: More Stuff


	12. Scootaloo's Ordeal

Good news: I've finally got Firefox, so I'm capable of uploading the series to DeviantArt. Keep your eyes open for it!

**PLEASE SEE CHAPTER ONE FOR MOST DISCLAIMERS**

PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE & CHARACTER PAGES

**-**_**CHAPTER START**_**-**

**Same Day – 3:15 PM**

Marie, in her pegasus form, walked up to Golden Tiara, who'd recently wrapped up a conversation with her brother. "Hey, Ms. Tiara? I've been thinking, and I'm curious about something."

"Oh?" Golden turned to face the girl. "What is it?"

"Remember how I told you about that one fictional – or so I thought – universe that your powers come from? Well, in that universe, in order for someone to use their Biotics to any meaningful degree, they need a special neural implant. According to the brain scan we did of you, you don't have that, and yet your Biotics are most definitely strong enough to be used practically. How is that?"

"…Hmm… Honestly, I have no idea" Golden said. "Maybe it's something related to Earth Pony magic. But really, I've got no clue."

"…Eh, whatever. So long as it works, right?"

"Right"

Meanwhile, elsewhere in Ponyville, Trixie was undergoing a medical scan from the recently-arrived Shamal.

"Well, your body seems to be recovering from malnourishment quite well" the mage-doctor said. "Your injuries have healed for the most part. And… Oh my, this is unexpected."

"What?" Teana (currently in her pony-form) piped up from nearby.

"Teana, do you remember that problem you used to have? How you had so much untamed, unfocused chakra in your system that it interfered with your ability to channel mana and use magic?"

"Wait" Trixie said. "Are you saying I've got the same problem? …And that's why, back when I was able to use magic, anything bigger than low-grade illusions always took so much effort with such little gain to show for it?"

"First of all," Shamal replied, "saying that you 'used to be able' to use magic implies something permanent, which isn't what you have. It's a psychosomatic block; we just need to help you work through whatever psychological issues are causing it. Second, yes that's what I'm saying. Your chakra reserves aren't quite as big as Teana's, but they're still fairly above the average."

"Well, I'll be" Teana said, grinning as she sidled up next to Trixie. "I'm thinking I should start teaching you the basics of chakra manipulation as soon as possible. That way, when you eventually do get your magic back, it'll be easier and stronger for you. Whaddya say?"

"Well…" Trixie was slightly unsure. "O-Okay. I guess it couldn't hurt."

"Great!" Teana smiled. "Swing by Flutter Field in half an hour; we'll figure out your elemental affinity and see where we go from there."

Elsewhere, the Cutie Mark Crusaders made their way through town, looking around at the beings they passed. Ponyville's population was already starting to get used to their extra-dimensional visitors, some of whom could be seen mingling, a few of them helping out here & there. Scootaloo was hanging back a little, her breath wheezing and her steps a little slow. Apple Bloom stopped and turned around.

"You okay, Scoot?" she asked.

"Huh?" the pegasus filly snapped out of her thoughts. "Y-Yeah, I'm fine" she replied, a bit of a rasp to her voice. "I'm just" she suppressed a cough "feelin' a little under the weather."

Sweetie Belle walked up to her, placing the back of a hoof against her forehead. "It feels like you're running a fever, Scootaloo" the unicorn said.

"I'm fine, I said" Scootaloo brushed Sweetie's hoof away. "I just caught a bug or something; no big deal."

"You sure you wouldn't rather call it a day?" Apple Bloom asked. "We could walk ya home and-"

"No!" Scootaloo interrupted with some panic, breaking out into a fit of harsh, wheezing coughs that wracked her whole body. After she'd caught her breath and gotten over the pain that the coughs had caused, she spoke again, calmer but still sounding nervous. "N-No girls, that's okay. I'll be fine, really. L-Let's get Crusading, shall we? We were gonna try to see if we can get Interior Decorating Cutie Marks today, right?"

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle shared a worried look, and then turned back to Scootaloo. "Alright, Scoot" Bloom said. "Let's get goin', then."

As the three walked along, Bloom and Belle made a silent agreement to keep a close eye on their sick friend…

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Ponyville General Hospital**

**Same Day – 7:15 PM**

Seven ponies walked through the front door of the facility, heading for the waiting room; the "Mane Six" had all chosen to accompany Trixie for her follow-up appointment, meant for the doctors to check the progress of her recovery. So they were surprised to find two familiar fillies already sitting in the waiting room.

"Sweetie Belle? Apple Bloom?" Rarity asked. "What are you two doing here?"

The two fillies looked at the older ponies. "Scootaloo's sick" Apple Bloom replied.

"She's been coughing pretty bad for two or three days," Sweetie Belle said, "and I don't think she's been sleeping much. Her breath's all wheezy, and it looks like her coughs hurt her. And she's been kinda weak and lethargic. We were working on our Crusading today, when she started coughing real bad, and she had a fever. We dragged her here about an hour ago. The doctors took one look at her and then took her in."

"Seriously?" Rainbow Dash asked, worry creeping into her tone. "Have you gotten any word yet?"

Before the fillies could respond, a doctor stepped out. His eyes widened as he saw everyone.

"Are you all here for Scootaloo?" he asked.

"Actually, we came here with Trixie" Twilight gestured to the other unicorn "for her follow-up appointment. However, Scootaloo is a part of our core group. We didn't know she was sick, though, until we came here and found these two waiting for her."

"S-So what's wrong with her, Doc?" Apple Bloom asked. "Is she gonna be alright?"

The doctor sighed. "It seems that she's come down with a rather nasty case of pneumonia" he replied. "She's in no danger of death at this point, before you start fretting, but we're still going to keep her here for a day or two."

"But she's gonna be okay?" Sweetie Belle asked. At the doctor's nod, she let out a sigh of relief.

"There is an issue, though" the doctor said, grabbing everyone's attention. "Her parents need to be informed of this. However, when questioned as to their identities and address, Scootaloo gets… evasive, giving answers that aren't really answers, and such. Do any of you know if there's anything… going on with her home life?"

Everyone looked at each other, confused.

"Actually," Apple Bloom said, "Scootaloo never talks about her home or her family."

"Yeah, and we've never seen either" Sweetie Belle added. "She usually just meets us at our clubhouse or at school."

"Come to think of it," Rarity said, "I've never met them either."

"Me, neither" Pinkie Pie chimed in. "And I know _everypony_ in Ponyville."

Worrying possibilities began to take root in everyone's minds.

"Let me talk to her, doc" Rainbow Dash said. "She looks up to me. I might be able to get some info out of her. And… I think I might have a theory…"

After a moment's consideration, the doctor nodded. He led Dash through the door, down the hall, to one of the rooms. There was Scootaloo, lying in bed, looking exhausted and miserable. The little filly's head turned to look, and her eyes lit up upon seeing her hero.

"R-Rainbow Dash?" she said, her voice a little breathless and rough. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to check up on you" Dash replied as she walked in. "So… pneumonia, huh?"

"Yeah…" Scootaloo let out a sigh that had a noticeable wheeze to it. "I feel awful."

Rainbow walked up to the bed, hopping up and having a seat. "Yeah, I know the feeling…" she said. "So, do your folks know you're sick?"

Scootaloo tried (and failed) not to visibly flinch. "U-Um, no…" she replied.

"Hmm… Well, that's okay. Just tell me where they live, and I can go tell 'em for ya."

Contrary to what most ponies thought, Rainbow Dash was actually pretty observant of other ponies' moods. Thus, she caught the flash of blind panic in Scootaloo's eyes, as the filly gave her a painfully-transparent attempt at a calm smile. "U-Uh, you don't need to do that for me, Dash" Scootaloo said, letting out a nervous laugh.

Rainbow Dash let out a long sigh. "Scootaloo…" she said. "You don't have any siblings, right?"

The little girl nodded.

"And I don't have any either" Dash continued. "And… when I'm interacting with you, I think that maybe that's what having a little sis is like. You're the closest thing I have to a family member. …So why can't I meet _your_ family?"

Scootaloo said nothing, only looking down with a depressed expression.

"Kid…" Dash said. "You wanna hear where I came from? It's something that only Pinkie and the Cakes have heard so far."

"S-Sure…" Scootaloo nodded.

"My dad flew the coop before I was born. My mother, Firefly, was declared 'Missing – Presumed Dead' in the wake of trying to help against Hurricane Epona. I was five when it happened. After that, I did everything I could to deliberately slip through the cracks in the system, avoid being found and taken by Foal Protective Services. I didn't wanna end up in an orphanage, taken away from the ponies and locale I'd grown up with, and eventually forced to call some other mare 'mom'; that would've been disrespecting my mother's memory, I believe. I spent the rest of my childhood, and my adolescence, pretty much on my own. I'm glad that I was able to avoid what I set out to avoid, but… it was a very sad, difficult, lonely life. I don't regret not letting myself be found by an orphanage, but I think my life would've been much easier had I found someone to take me in, even if only for sporadic periods of time."

Scootaloo was quiet as she processed all this.

"So, kiddo…" Dash said. "What's _your_ story? Why hasn't anyone I know seen _your_ parents? Where's _your_ home?"

Scootaloo closed her eyes and let out a long, slow, wheezing sigh as she made her decision. "I don't have one" she confessed. "My parents didn't want the responsibility of being parents, so they dropped me at an orphanage in Fillydelphia shortly after I was born. It was a terrible place – the building was old and drafty, the bedrooms were cramped with thin, lumpy beds, the staff-members were cold and distant or actively mean, the rules and prohibitions were like something a dictator would come up with… It was awful. No-one there – adults or kids – was nice to me. No-one who came ever even considered adopting me. A lot of the kids went out of their way to set me up, get me in trouble, and the workers never believed me when I tried to explain what happened.

"I got fed up. When I was six, I ran away. Two of the staff caught me sneaking out in the middle of the night, chased me, tried to catch me. They failed. I got away, and I got as far away from that place as I could. I made my way through cities, towns, empty plains and woods and mountains. I never stayed in any one place for more than a month. About a year and a half ago, though, I found Ponyville. This place is… I don't know the words to describe how I feel, but I knew right away that I never wanted to leave. I made a home out of an old rabbit warren near Flutter Field; that's my home. I… It's really hard sometimes, but it's worth it to stay here in Ponyville…"

Silence descended. Rainbow Dash quietly reached out and laid her hoof on Scootaloo's shoulder. At that point, however, the door opened and the doctor walked in. He looked at Dash expectantly. Dash looked down, seeing the fear in Scootaloo's eyes, the filly silently pleading not to tell, not to have her sent away. The Bearer of Loyalty closed her eyes and took a deep breath, and then looked to the doctor.

"Scootaloo's parents are out of town" she said, technically not lying. "She's been entrusted to my care for the time being."

The little filly's eyes lit up with surprise and hope.

"I see" the doctor replied. "Well then, if you would follow me and we could go over the necessary bits…"

"I'll be back soon, kiddo" Dash said to Scootaloo as she followed the doctor out.

As Dash and the doctor walked down the hall, he turned to her.

"She's an orphan, isn't she?" he asked.

"I won't let you take her from us, from her friends, from Ponyville" Dash replied with utmost seriousness. "It would destroy her. She has happiness here that the apparent run-down hellhole of an orphanage in Fillydelphia she ran from sorely lacked; you might wanna have the FPS over there inspect the orphanage facilities in that city. …She has friends here, a life, goals… And I am willing to provide her a roof over her head, so she doesn't end up having to go through what I did growing up alone."

"…Alright" the doctor said. "I'll keep it quiet from Protective Services for now, partly because you obviously have a rather well-developed support structure in your friends and their families. …You do realize that you're three years too young to legally adopt her, right?"

"Oh, I know I'm not mom material. I'm more of the 'Cool Big Sis' type. Applejack's our 'Team Mom', not me. …But, yeah; we can take care of her. I just gotta break the news to 'em first."

As Rainbow Dash returned to the waiting room, she turned to Twilight. "Twi, can you set up an anti-eavesdropping spell or whatever you call it around our group?"

"So outsiders can't hear us? Sure."

The spell was set up, and the others crowded around as Dash took a seat. And then she told them everything. It was a while before anyone could think of anything to say through the shock.

"Scootaloo's… homeless?" Apple Bloom said, her voice quiet and her expression one of shock.

"And family-less?" Sweetie Belle added.

"And she's been living in some… _hole_ in the ground?" Rarity asked.

"I'm pissed at myself for not noticing before now" Rainbow Dash said. "Leaving that aside, though… Will you girls help me take care of her?"

"Of course we will" Pinkie replied.

"We'll do everything we can" Fluttershy said.

"You can count on us" Applejack said. "And so can she."

As the others added their agreement, Dash smiled. 'Looks like you're not on your own anymore, kid…' she thought.

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Two Days Later**

Scootaloo was discharged from the hospital the morning after her admittance, and the entire 'Mane Group' was there to help her. Her few meager possessions were moved from the warren she'd been living in, up to a cleaned-up guest room in Rainbow Dash's Cloud Cottage that she would now be living in. She would have to rely on Dash, Fluttershy, Shion, or Marie to get to & from her new home, on account of her being unable to fly yet, but none of the four in question minded. The other Crusaders were a big help, assisting Scootaloo in getting used to her new situation. Just last night, Scootaloo had slept in a real bed for the first time in ages… Rainbow Dash's bed, to be specific, curled up with the elder pegasus in question, who was quickly falling into the big-sister role, giving the little filly a little extra warmth and company to keep the nightmares away.

Today, Dash had dropped her new charge off at school and then headed into town to get some supplies, meeting up with Mrs. Cake, Sarah, and Fluttershy, who would be helping her get what was needed to raise a child. The shopping went on for around an hour, when suddenly several cracking sounds filled the air. Sarah immediately turned to the direction they'd come from.

"Gunfire…" she murmured.

"_All coalition forces in the area, this is Fireteam X-Ray!_" a man's voice shouted over Sarah's comm. "_Hostile forces attempting to gain access to the school! We have engaged, but are requesting reinforcements!_"

"_Fireteam X-Ray, this is Agent Carolina_" the ex-Freelancer's voice came over the comm. channel. "_Agent Washington and I are en-route._"

"This is Gamma-7" Sarah added in as she took off running, shifting to her human form and summoning her gravity-hammer from one of the scrolls on her person. "I am on the way as well". She turned behind her and saw the two pegasi following. "Harmony-4 and Harmony-6 are accompanying me."

"_Roger that, to all of you_" Fireteam X-Ray's man replied, gunshots audible in the background. "_Lookin' forward to the company!_"

"_This is Overwatch to all local forces_" a new voice chimed in. "_Dimensional translocation of unknown source has been detected. Two unidentified IFF tags have appeared and are heading for the school. One of them has an old Project Freelancer tag-code._"

"_North, York, Tex, and Florida are all off-world right now_" Wash replied. "_Whoever it is, it's not one of ours._"

"Damn it" Sarah cursed. "So it might be another one sent by the Dark Voice. We could be dealing with South or Wyoming."

"_All the more reason to hurry!_" Carolina replied.

Halfway there, Sarah's group met up with Wash & Carolina. They hurried as fast as they could, breezing past buildings and surprised pedestrians, making for the schoolhouse. Soon it came into view – Cheerilee and several students caught outside, huddling together against a wall, with five UNSC marines frantically firing at the Demons and Unversed attacking. The fireteam leader, shotgun in hand, stepped forward, blasting two Type-Es. He took down two Scrappers with the butt of his weapon… and turned around to notice the Type-D flying right for his face.

(MUSIC: _Red vs. Blue Season 10_ OST – "C.T.")

Suddenly, a thrown hatchet came flying in, striking and killing the Type-D and knocking it aside. Several well-aimed pistol shots followed from out of nowhere, taking down several Unversed and a few Type-Es. A pack of Unversed that tried to rush around the soldiers and charge at the kids found themselves blocked off, as an armored figure dropped in from the roof, landing in a crouch between them and the civilians. Shiny brown armor stood up, two golden eye-pieces staring out at the surprised dark entities.

"Picking on kids?" she said to the dark creatures. "You really are monsters…"

And as the coalition personnel got close enough to see who it was, Carolina and Washington felt disbelief, surprise, and relief at recognizing her:

"CT?-!" "Connie!"

The Type-Es charged, and Agent Connecticut ran to meet them, knife in one hand and M6D pistol in the other. As she came in close, she flickered as she sent out a hologram, distracting and disorienting the Type-Es for a split second, long enough for her to shoot one between the eyes and slash the throat out of another. The third Type-E ran at her, brandishing a dagger, only for a headshot from Wash to put it down as he charged into the fray, cracking a Scrapper's head with the butt of his rifle.

"How in the worlds are you here?" he asked.

"I'll explain when we aren't being attacked!" C.T. replied as she took down two Floods with her pistol.

A high-speed aerial tackle from Rainbow Dash took out three Unversed, while Sarah threw her gravity hammer at a Type-E, the weapon discharging and killing the demon on impact; she flash-stepped in, catching the weapon by the handle before it could hit the ground, and swung to kill four Type-Gs. Carolina ran in, plasma rifles firing as she gunned down more Unversed, and a Type-E's attempt to attack her from behind was foiled by a hatchet being slammed into its back. As the demon toppled over, the axe's owner – a man in full ODST armor with a pill insignia on his chestplate – pulled it free, having already retrieved his other weapon. He and Carolina looked at each other.

"Well, this is awkward…" Carolina said sheepishly.

"Tell me about it" 'Pillman' replied.

The two then simultaneously turned and opened fire on a pack of Scrappers that tried to get the drop on them, plasma rifles and M7 SMGs gunning the Unversed down. A Type-D tried to swoop in on them, only for Fireteam X-Ray's leader to blast it with his shotgun. Fluttershy took position helping Cheerilee protect the kids, while Rainbow Dash leapt in and started bashing Unversed. The presence of a Gamma Team member, three Freelancers, and a Freelancer-level soldier, along with the two pegasi and the already-present fireteam, meant that the enemy was quickly routed.

After the last enemy fell, and it was assured that none of the kids were hurt, the coalition personnel came together.

"So how are you two here?" Wash asked C.T. and 'Pillman'. "And why aren't you attacking us?"

"For starters," the ODST-armored soldier said, "that thing you guys have that lets you see events with camera angles, music, time compression for viewing, and stuff like that? Our group's got it, too. We're part of the 'other' multi-dimensional coalition that your higher-ups recently discovered the existence of."

"So we've seen everything," C.T. continued, "including Texas finding out the truth, and the Director's death. We know you guys are on the right side now."

"We came here to give something to your higher-ups" 'Pillman' said. "Information – dimensional-spatial coordinates, time, stuff like that – for a meeting between our people and yours."

"So who exactly makes up this 'other faction'?" Sarah asked.

C.T. grinned inside her helmet. "Now, now" she said. "No spoilers."

"Aw, c'mon. Just one?"

"Alright, alright. Ever heard of Galen Marek?"

Sarah's eyes widened. "The Sith-turned-Jedi who kicked Vader's and Palpatine's asses and became a martyr for the Rebel Alliance? And who was later cloned and his clone kicked Vader's ass again?

"Yep, that's him" 'Pillman' replied. "He's one of our heavy hitters. And… well, it's a clone body but the original soul. He's on his third body right now."

"Third?" Wash asked.

"He and his two buddies were on Alderaan" C.T. replied. "We had a Precursor-built 'Resurrector', too. That's how me and this big lug are alive right now. It also brought Marek, Juno Eclipse, and Rahm Kota back, as well as a few others from a different group, before it burned itself out."

"So are you two gonna stick around?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Wish we could, but we gotta get back to our guys," 'Pillman' replied, "let 'em know what happened and that we handed the data off to you. We'll see you guys again at the meeting."

As he said that, a slipspace translocation portal appeared behind them.

"Well, there's our ride" C.T. said. "See you guys later."

With that, the two stepped through the portal, which then closed. Carolina looked at the data-card now held in her hand, containing the relevant intel. She stored it in one of her armor's storage pockets, then turned and started walking in the direction of the coalition groundside facility, the others following her.

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Next Day**

Trixie wandered through town, caught up in her own little world. Her once-malnourished body was already filling out again, muscle and (healthy) fat being built back up. Her self-esteem was still in not such a good state; she still had her psychosomatic magic block and her depression-induced Cutie Mark loss. But right now, she was in a reasonably good mood. She'd been determined to have a Lightning elemental affinity, and Teana had already started teaching her the basics of chakra manipulation and theory. She'd also been having a listen to some of the human visitors' music; she'd come to like one of little Erika's favorite bands.

"_In my scarecrow dreams,_" she was singing to herself, "_When they smash my heart into smithereens, be a bright red rose come bursting the concrete…_"

She was interrupted suddenly as an odd-looking featherless bird went past at a respectable rate of speed. Seconds later, Twilight and Fluttershy came running past.

"Hi Trixie, bye Trixie!" Twilight shouted without breaking stride.

"Philomena, come back!" Fluttershy cried.

For several seconds Trixie just stood there, utterly confused. Then she just shrugged her shoulders and kept walking.

"_Light a fire to light a spark, light a fire, flame in my heart…_"

As she walked along, she again went over in her head the plans for Pinkie's upcoming surprise birthday party. Things were looking up, so long as things went well on the day of the party…

**-**_**CHAPTER END**_**-**

Next Time: The events of "Party of One", with a few twists.


	13. Popped Balloons

Oh geez, the _Clone Wars_ Season 5 finale… I can fix this. I'll think of something to make it fit this fic. …And it gives me an awesome idea for a future scene in a future Book…

Sorry about the wait; writer's block and a new video game kept me typing at a snail's pace.

Also, the _Teana's Travels_ series is now on DeviantArt! As of this posting, I'm in the middle of putting Book 1 up, one chapter at a time. Come see!

**PLEASE SEE CHAPTER ONE FOR MOST DISCLAIMERS**

PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE & CHARACTER PAGES

**-**_**CHAPTER START**_**-**

**Pinkie Pie's Birthday**

Preparations for the pink pony's party were performed. The inside of the barn at Sweet Apple Acres had been turned into a party palace for Pinkie's 18th birthday. It had been tough working keeping Pinkie from finding out, and there had been a few close calls. But now, everything was ready, and Rainbow Dash had been sent out to retrieve Pinkie and bring her to the barn, where the rest of the Mane Group, Spike, Trixie, the Crusaders, Gamma Team, Aqua, Erika & Timmy, and Mr. & Mrs. Cake were waiting.

"Oh, I can't wait!" Twilight said giddily. "Pinkie Pie's gonna be so surprised and happy!"

"This'll be her first ever surprise party, right?" Marie asked the Cakes, who nodded.

"Hey, I think I hear movement outside!" Sweetie Belle, near the door, said.

"Guys…" Ahsoka chimed in suddenly, a serious look on her face. "I think something is very wrong. I can sense… pain, resentment, anger… hatred… I've got a very bad feeling about this…"

"I sense it, too" Shion replied, looking equally worried. "Something's not right."

The barn door opened, and a pink-hued figure was tossed in. Some of the attendees shouted "Surprise!", but to those more observant it was immediately apparent that something was wrong. Pinkie's colors were darkened and faded, and her mane & tail were limp and straight. But most concerning was her expression: Pinkie looked _furious_. Her teeth were bared slightly, her eyes were fixed in a truly frightening enraged and contemptuous glare, and the outer edges of her eyes' irises were starting to turn a corruptive golden-yellow. The happy grins on the faces of some of the partygoers rapidly faded as Pinkie's hateful gaze focused on them. No-one dared say anything. Mr. & Mrs. Cake, in particular, felt deep concern at seeing Pinkie in her straight-mane mode for the first time in years.

"Yeah, I found her like this" Rainbow Dash said as she walked in.

"I figured she'd be more excited…" Applejack said quietly to Twilight.

Applejack then flinched as Pinkie's glare focused on her, eyes burning into her soul.

"Excited?" Pinkie snapped. "You thought I'd be _excited_ about an anti-Pinkie party?-!"

"W… What are you talking about?" Twilight asked, sounding confused and distressed. "This isn't an-"

"Don't you play dumb with _me_, you insensitive, obsessive-compulsive bitch!" Pinkie shouted. "You all have been making excuses and ignoring me all day! Avoiding me, _lying_ to me, running away from me! I finally figured it out, and interrogating Spike gave me proof! That you don't want to be my friends anymore!"

Several of the would-be partygoers let out shocked gasps, unable to believe just what they were hearing.

"A-And you know what?" Pinkie continued, tears starting to come to her rage-filled eyes, as the gold of corruption slowly spread inward across the irises. "I'll bet you were never my friends to begin with! You just kept me around to laugh at or out of convenience! None of you could ever really stand me! I was just an annoyance to you! That's how it's always been! No-one ever tries to understand me! No-one takes me seriously unless they have to! I'm just a pain in the ass and a big joke to all of you!-!"

"Pinkie…" Rarity slowly walked toward her from the side, reaching out. "Sweetheart, that is all utter nonsense. We would never-"

"Touch me and I will _snap your horn off_!" Pinkie snapped at her. Rarity, eyes going wide with genuine fear, backed away quickly.

The group in attendance was now very, very worried. Not only were they scared _for_ Pinkie, some of them were actually scared _of_ her as well. To plan a big surprise party for their close friend's 18th birthday, only to have this kind of thing happen…

"P… Pinkie…" Rainbow Dash's tone was almost pleading as it fully sank in just how bad things were. "Please, I…"

"No!" Pinkie shouted. "You don't get to lie! Not anymore!" The irises of her eyes were now a solid golden color, her Heart's Darkness taking hold.

As she stared at the unstable girl, something clicked in Ahsoka's mind. Some of Pinkie's unique abilities were undoubtedly magic, but others, particularly her precognition, were something else. It finally hit her: Pinkie Pie was a semi-latent Force-Sensitive. And right now, consumed by rage and pain, she was in the grip of the Dark Side.

"I trusted you all…" Pinkie said, voice trembling with sadness and fury. "I gave you girls my love… and _this is how you repay me?-!_"

There was a pulse of power accompanying her shout, and the others could _feel_ her pain and anger, and they felt a mixture of sorrow, guilt, and terror as a result.

"Pinkie, please calm down and listen to us!" Twilight begged as she walked up. "If you would just give us a chance to expl-"

Twilight was cut off as Pinkie hit her with an uppercut to the torso that knocked the breath out of her, followed by a full-power Earth-Pony-strength hoof-punch to the face that sent her flying back into the table that had been set up to hold the cake and other snacks. Paper plates and bags of chips went flying, though miraculously the cake was unharmed and remained in place. Everyone was in horrified shock at what they'd just witnessed, disbelieving their eyes, praying that this was all some horrible dream.

Pinkie walked up, letting out a low, feral snarl under her breath. She stood over the cowering unicorn, who was trembling in terror as she shielded her bleeding face with her forehooves. Pinkie raised a hoof to strike down… when the cake slowly began to slide off of the table. Twilight caught it with her magic, holding it between her and Pinkie, and the aggressor's eyes widened in deep shock as she saw the pink-frosting caricature of her 'normal' self, along with the icing words "Happy 18th Birthday, Pinkie Pie."

"W… What…?" she mouthed.

There was a sob from Twilight. "This is what we've been t-trying to tell you" she whimpered. "What all this is about. W-We wanted to t-throw you a surprise party for your birthday…" The cake was lowered just enough for Pinkie to see Twilight's face – blood from her nose, a quickly-forming black eye, and tears streaming down her face. "This was all for you" she sobbed out. "We h-had to make excuses to protect the surprise. B-But we didn't notice how h-hard you were taking it, and… and… Oh Pinkie, I'm so sorry! I c-could _never_ hate you! None of us could! We love you! You… You're one of m-my best friends! I… I never meant to hurt you! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, Pinkie! I never wanted to… to…"

As Twilight lost the ability to speak coherently, Pinkie took a few shaky steps back, her eyes returning to their normal blue. As she looked around, seeing the scared, remorseful, teary faces of the others, all while hearing Twilight's crying, her breathing became faster and more shallow as it sank in just what she'd done. She could feel something clawing at her from within. She held her head between her forehooves as tears started falling from her eyes, which were wide as can be. Her heart beat faster and faster, and then…

Blackness.

Everyone got yet another unpleasant shock as the light left Pinkie's eyes, and she keeled over. Immediately everyone who was in shape to move rushed over to her. She was still breathing, and her heart was still beating, but she was totally unresponsive.

"What's wrong with her?" Mrs. Cake cried out, a mother's worry eating away at her.

"Oh no…" Aqua murmured, her magic reaching deep into Pinkie, scanning. "It's her spirit – her Heart. It's… damaged. All of this turmoil, the encroaching Darkness… It's like what Master Yen-Sid said happened to Sora when Xehanort interrupted the Mark of Mastery Exam."

"How do we help her?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"…The same way Riku helped Sora" Marie suggested. "The same way we helped Kanade."

"We dive into her Heart…" Mai said as she healed Twilight's face.

"And help fix the damage we inadvertently caused" Rarity finished.

"Erika and I can probably only bring around five others in with us" Aqua said. "The rest of you will have to settle for the Vetus-system 'Dream Diving' spell."

Immediately, the other Element-Bearers stepped forward.

"This is our fault" Twilight said, having composed herself. "We need to do whatever it takes to make things right."

Within a minute, preparations were complete. Aqua and Erika, shifted to their normal human forms, held their Keyblades high. They and the five conscious Element-Bearers formed a circle around Pinkie's prone form, magical energy coursing through all seven of them in a loop. At the same time, everyone else was gathered around Teana as she incanted the Dream-Diver spell, a Vetus magic circle appearing beneath her. Magic swirled and built up, the air thrumming with power.

There was an all-encompassing flash of light.

-_Mini-Break_-

**Pinkie's Heart**

(MUSIC: _Kingdom Hearts 2_ OST – "Dive Into The Heart -Destati-")

When everyone opened their eyes, they were standing upon a massive circular platform floating in a realm of black nothingness. However, there was another platform right next to it, and upon closer inspection the two were connected by a proportionately-small section, like a cell that was in the process of mitosis but had not yet completed it. Both were heavily polluted by malignant Darkness, and the parts not hidden by the tendrils of inky blackness were dull and faded in color. And sitting in the middle of the side of the dual-platform everyone now stood on was a single dull-pink pony, mane & tail hanging loose and straight.

"Pinkie?"

As the seven who'd dived into their friend's Heart got closer, the transparent slightly-glowing forms of the Dream-Divers close behind them, the figure raised her head to look at them, surprise flashing across eyes that looked to be filled with sadness. As she got a good look, Rainbow Dash noticed that something was off. For one thing, her Cutie Mark's colors were reversed – two yellow balloons on the outside and one blue on the inside.

"You're not Pinkie, are you?" she asked.

"…I sort of both am and aren't, actually" not-Pinkie replied, a low, quiet, almost mournful tone of voice. "I'm parts of her that she refuses to feel, that she represses. I'm her traumas, her dark memories, her sadness and fears. Whenever she feels those things, she represses them, pushes them deep down, forgets about them, buries them deep. I'm formed from all of that." She looked at the confused Mr. & Mrs. Cake. "Though she still vaguely remembers where she came from, and how you two found her, the memories are muddled, incomplete, and faded. But I remember it all, as clear as day.

"My and her separation wasn't always this… advanced. We were still one pony, one Heart, just with internal divisions. But today's incident, Darkness' effects and Pinkie's breakdown, accelerated the process by a massive degree. You can see the fractures left in our Heart from the sudden dramatic division earlier today" she pointed at black and grey cracks visible in both platforms/Hearts. "I… I have my own mind now, separate from hers. I didn't this morning, and now I do. It's… sorta frightening, actually."

"So w-what happens now?" Erika asked.

"You find Pinkie" the girl replied. "She should be over there" she pointed to the other platform. "Get her out of the Darkness threatening to consume her."

"Come with us" Twilight offered.

"What?" the girl was surprised. "I-I can't!"

"Why not?" Applejack asked.

"W-What if meeting me or touching me somehow makes her feel everything I am – all the repressed hurt and bad memories – hit her all at once? Or what if she freaks out and accidentally hurts herself? Or what if… what if…"

Rarity gave a comforting smile as she laid a hoof on not-Pinkie's shoulders. "You're scared of how she might react to you, aren't you?"

The morose mare nodded after a few seconds, a pitiable look in her eyes.

"You don't need to be scared" Dash said. "I know Pinkie. There's no way she'd hate you or be scared of you."

"Y-You can't know that for sure…" the other girl whimpered.

"I know she won't" Aqua said. "Come on; we'll prove it. You'll see."

The group moved on, now with one extra member. They reached the conjunction and crossed over to Pinkie's Heart, which had a little more Darkness covering it than the other one. In the center of the platform was a bulge in the covering blackness. As the group came close to it, it reacted to the presence of Aqua & Erika's Keyblades, withdrawing to reveal Pinkie Pie laying there, out cold, her colors ever-so-slightly faded and her mane & tail halfway 'deflated'. As the other Element-Bearers rushed to her side, she began to stir.

"Pinkie?" Rarity leaned over her. "Can you hear us, darling?"

Pinkie's eyes slowly opened, and as she looked around at the group surrounding her, her expression became one of shock and sadness. She focused on Twilight. "I…" she whimpered. "I'm sorry…"

Twilight was the first to hug her. The other four followed suit. Much snuggles and crying apologies ensued; Pinkie's mane & tail regained their normal bounce and brightness. After a few minutes that felt like much more, Pinkie slowly pulled away, looking around.

"Where are we?" she asked.

"Your Heart" Aqua replied.

Pinkie looked around, quickly recognizing the 'locale' seen in various dives into Hearts from the footage Gamma Team had shown the girls. She felt shock as she noticed how much inky Darkness was covering her own Heart; had she really slipped that badly? Then she looked around some more… and got another shock as she noticed the second Heart/platform partially connected to hers. Quickly realizing what this meant, she craned her neck and looked everywhere, soon spotting her 'Other' hiding behind Aqua and Erika, a morose expression on her face partially hidden by her loose mane. Carefully, she wriggled free of her friends' embrace and slowly walked toward the 'Other', whose expression had a hint of fear to it.

"…What part of me are you?" Pinkie asked.

"I'm… a lot of the things you repress" the 'Other' replied nervously. "Sadness, pain, some anger, bad memories… All the things you don't want to think about get shoved down deep. I wasn't a separate mind until today, though. I…"

She trailed off, and Pinkie noticed that she was trembling. It didn't take long for the bright-pink pony to realize what was wrong: her 'Other' was afraid of her, afraid of how she'd react. But she had no reason to be; Pinkie could see, in the other mare's eyes, light and goodness and desire for acceptance. It was a little shocking to know that her psyche had divided in such a matter, but…

"I'm sorry that you…" her 'Other' said, with eyes squeezed shut and a tremor in her voice "have to see me…"

"Don't be" Pinkie replied.

Pinkie's 'Other' let out a surprised gasp, eyes shooting open, as Pinkie laid a hoof on her shoulder, smiling warmly.

"You shouldn't be upset that you exist" Pinkie continued. "I'm sorry I've repressed you for so long. I didn't even know I was doing it, to be honest. You must've been so lonely. …You don't need to hide in the shadows anymore. My friends are your friends. Besides… today's _your_ birthday, too… Pinka."

"P… Pinka…?"

"Well, it's something else other than 'Pinkie' that's short for Pinkamena. And I think it suits you… sister."

"S… Sist…"

Pinkie then reached out and pulled 'Pinka' into a hug. Pinka stiffened up in shock, eyes wide, but as Pinkie gently pulled her close, one hoof softly stroking the back of her head, she slowly calmed down.

And then, their Hearts and minds linked. Both of them, at the same time, experienced Pinkie's happy memories & feelings and Pinka's sad ones. Pinkie gritted her teeth and fought back tears as the full brunt of her origins hit her, and she held Pinka a little tighter as the unpleasantness subsided seconds later. Pinka, meanwhile, felt the memories of Pinkie's joy and friendship and love filling her, both from her memories and in knowing how Pinkie felt about her, and she couldn't suppress a sob as she, a pony 'made' of sadness, felt these wonderful feelings for the first time. Pinka allowed herself to be submerged in these new emotions, blending with the feeling of Pinkie's hug, a few tears running down her face. Neither of them noticed as the separation between their two Hearts/platforms progressed to completion, the two complete circular platforms hovering about a foot from each other. The Darkness covering both of them began to recede.

"_Isn't that __**cute**__?_" a mysterious voice said, tone dripping with sarcasm.

(MUSIC STOP)

The two startled, looking around. The other five Element-Bearers and the two Keyblade-Wielders came over, also looking every which way. Erika spotted it first, calling and pointing it out. The Darkness that covered the two girls' Hearts was converging into a single point, compressing as it assumed a solid form. The equine being rose up from the shadows, head hanging low. She had solid grey fur, with a long black mane and tail hanging loose, and a Cutie Mark of three popped balloons lying limp and in tatters, strings still tied to their bases.

"_Enough with the sappy crap_" she said. "_Let's see some anger, resentment, bloodshed…_" She raised her head, revealing Pinkie & Pinka's face, but with gray fur and black-sclera golden eyes. "_Give in to the dark, and have some __**fun**__…_"

"I can't believe it…" Pinkie muttered. "The Darkness of my Heart is big enough and strong enough to have its own will?"

"_Of course_" the dark being replied. "_Every bit of anger, frustration, and resentment you've ever felt but shoved deep down and locked away deep inside your Heart… Just as today's events gave your repressed sadness her own mind, so too did they grant the same to me. I am your anger at those who are unable or unwilling to understand you, the resentment of those who have more, the __**hatred**__ of those who have wronged you, and more. Furthermore, today's events opened the floodgates, allowing an external source of Dark power to flow into me, giving me form and strength! And now, I've developed to the point where all I need to do is destroy the both of you, and this body will be mine!_"

(MUSIC: _Kingdom Hearts 2 _OST – "Fragments of Sorrow")

"Not if we have anything to say about it!" Rainbow Dash growled, as she and the others took stances.

"Hmph" Pinkie's Darkness smirked. "So you girls wanna be collateral damage, huh? Alright; no skin off my nose…"

She took a few steps toward them… and then flash-stepped in, appearing directly behind a shocked Pinkie, an evil fanged grin on her face as she readied a Darkness-charged strike. In a blur of movement, Pinka appeared in her path, blocking her attack and then lashing out with a counter-strike to the face. The Dark One leapt back, narrowly dodging a Keyblade swing from Erika, and upon landing she slammed her hoof down to the floor. In response, several low-level Unversed came into being around her. She gestured, and they attacked.

Aqua and Erika took the lead, Keyblades hacking through the dark creatures. Pinkie & Pinka took advantage of the cleared path, rushing in at their Dark-Side and engaging her in two-on-one. A Flood bucked by Applejack knocked a pack of Scrappers over like bowling pins, while Twilight used tightly focused and compacted pulses of telekinesis to strike down more Floods trying to swarm her, and a left cross from Rarity took down a Scrapper trying to slash at Fluttershy.

The Dark-Side skidded back on her hind legs, forelimbs sore from blocking Pinkie's powerful punch. She immediately looked up and barely dodged Pinka's falling kick/stomp, lashing out with a tail-slap to the face that stunned Pinka. She then struck at her face, only for Pinkie to yank Pinka out of the way and deliver a rising kick that nearly broke her Darkness' jaw. The Dark-Side turned her uncontrolled flight into a backward flip, landing on her hooves and immediately rushing in again.

A Strike Raid from Aqua cut through the crowd, felling the last nine Unversed. The group then turned to watch as Pinkie and Pinka gradually pushed their Darkness back, keeping her on the defensive and wearing her down. A double-punch from the two sent the Dark One tumbling back, coming out of it on her hooves and panting, mane frazzled. "_That…_" she panted out "_That's not enough to beat me. You can't beat me! I'm a part of you! I'm as strong as the both of you!_"

"We're still better than you!" Pinkie replied. "Because we have friends! They're our power, and we're theirs!"

"_Ha! You honestly still think they consider you their friend? You, the girl who can't be serious even if life depends on it, and your fragment, who's a __**thing**__ spawned from your own repressed emotions and who doesn't even know how to be happy?_"

Pinkie's expression shifted to a somewhat-sad one. "It's true that I can annoy them without meaning to. And today, I expected the worst of them, even though I should've known better."

"But we still love you" Twilight said as she and the others walked up, standing beside Pinkie and Pinka. "We did all that to make your 18th birthday as special as we could. …But we went about it the wrong way, and hurt you deeply in the process. We're sorry, Pinkie."

"…I forgive you."

At hearing Pinkie say that, her Darkness snarled, eyes flashing red with anger.

"I know I have trouble being serious sometimes" Pinkie continued. "It's hard for me to get out of my happy-fun mode. And the few times I do, I take it way too far in the other direction. But you girls didn't give up on me, even when I'd given up on you. The bad times I've had… only serve to make the good ones, the moments of laughter and joy, even better!"

"I'll… admit that I don't know much about the world" Pinka said. "Being created by negative emotions does that. I thought being sad and lonely was all there is. But… Pinkie and her memories have shown me that that's not true; that I _can_ be happy. I… I _want_ to be happy. To feel joy, to laugh, to have companions… I want to be a part of that!"

"And now ya can" Applejack replied. "You're part of our friend, so that makes you our friend, too."

Pinka smiled. "Thank you…" she whispered.

"See?" Pinkie shouted. "There's more to me – to us – than bitterness and anger! So, so much more! And we won't let those icky feelings consume us!"

"We both know that feeling angry is normal," Pinka added, "but we also know that it's not the only thing there is! And we won't let _you_ make it so! Me, and Pinkie, and our friends… Together, we're stronger than you could ever be!"

"Because friendship…" Pinkie said, as identical glowing lights appeared on her and Pinka's necks "is magic!"

In twin flashes of light, Pinkie and Pinka were now wearing matching Harmony Elements, the balloon-shaped gems shining bright. Their Darkness' eyes widened with fright, and she took a few steps back. The two pink girls looked to each other, nodded, and then rushed forward. Their Darkness, panicking, fired bolt after bolt of dark energy at them, only for their Elements to deflect it all effortlessly. They quickly closed in, dodging their Dark-Side's last-ditch swings… and hugged her.

"You may be a meanie, Anger," Pinkie said, smiling serenely, "but on occasion, you have given me valuable strength. I won't let you consume me… but I won't reject you anymore, either. …Sleep now. You've been through enough; you've earned a good rest."

As Anger's eyes slowly closed, the sclera turned white, the gold of her eyes returning to normal blue. She then vanished into glowing motes of light that then merged with Pinkie and Pinka. After a few seconds, their eyes opened, and they smiled to their friends.

"Come on, girls" Pinkie said. "We gotta get back to the real world, for my and Pinka's birthday party."

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**That Night**

Pinkie gave a content sigh as she lay back in her bed, one hoof patting her cake-filled belly. She looked over to her desk, spotting the presents her friends had gotten her. After everything had been cleared up, the whole gang had finally properly enjoyed themselves. Once it was found out that Pinkie and Pinka could now swap control of their body, the latter got to know everyone better; when Mr. & Mrs. Cake had given her a hug, she'd actually started crying, but in a good way. They'd all also discovered that, just as Pinkie's mane & tail went flat when she was dead-serious, Pinka's poofed up just a little teensy bit when she was happy.

As she slowly drifted to sleep, Pinkie remembered what Ahsoka had pulled her aside to tell her:

"_Pinkie… I don't know how else to tell you this: you're a Force-Sensitive. Your 'Pinkie Sense' is a form of Force Precognition, for one thing. ...I have some free time in three days, the day after the Grand Gala. Come find me at Flutter Field, and I'll see about teaching you how to consciously control The Force. It could save your life one day…_"

'I wonder what I'll be able to do…' was Pinkie's last thought before slumber claimed her.

**-**_**CHAPTER END**_**-**

Next Time: The **G**rand **G**alloping **G**ala!-!


	14. At The Gala

This chapter took a while because of _Heart of the Swarm_'s release (which included a playthrough of _Wings of Liberty_, which I'm presently in the middle of). In fact, this chapter and the next were originally gonna be one, but I realized I was keeping you guys waiting too long, so I split it.

Twilight's depressing backstory is more-or-less taken from the "Pony Permutation Project" fic "Twilight Switch" by author "Bookish Delight", albeit embellished and made 'a little' worse than it was in that fic.

**PLEASE SEE CHAPTER ONE FOR MOST DISCLAIMERS**

PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE & CHARACTER PAGES

**-**_**CHAPTER START**_**-**

**Canterlot Castle**

**Two Days Later – 9:00 PM**

Ponies from all around (though mostly the rich elite from Canterlot) had gathered for the biggest event of the year. A popular topic among a large minority of the attendees was the recent arrival of extra-dimensional life; word about the recent debacles at Ponyville had spread rapidly. However, the majority of the attendees were the usual elitist snobs who couldn't give two tail-shakes about what happened outside their own little world. Gamma, Sigma, and Theta Teams were all attending, as well as a few big-wigs from a few other coalition members, who mostly stuck to the sidelines amongst themselves.

Twilight Sparkle was not enjoying herself at all. When she'd arrived at the palace, she'd been running high on the idea of spending the night interacting with her mentor/mother-figure. However, she had failed to take into account Celestia's royal duty: greeting each & every pony who showed up. She hadn't gotten to spend even a single minute actually _with_ her beloved mentor because of all the stupid greetings!

But much worse, in her mind, were the looks of recognition that some of the arrivals gave Twilight. As a child, shortly after earning her Cutie Mark and her position as Celestia's student, Twilight had been rather well-known throughout Canterlot as a prodigy. This had led to her being asked to use her magic in a variety of tasks of some importance. Unfortunately, her absurd magical power hadn't come with absurd levels of fine magical control, and the resulting catastrophic failures, which often made things even worse than before she'd started on them, eventually leading to a significant chunk of the city's population to detest and/or fear her, calling her a walking disaster or an uncontrollable failure.

As a result, little Twilight had eventually "broken" when a month shy of 10 years old, locking herself in her tower suite, away from the world, having lost all faith in her abilities and in her worth as a student and a unicorn. She didn't leave her tower at all for the next seven years; she refused to speak with anyone other than Spike, Celestia, Cadence, and her immediate family; it took her mother and Celestia half a year to convince her to use any magic at all again, and after that she became obsessed with being absolutely, 110% sure that her control over a spell was completely perfect before she even _thought_ about trying to use it, triple- and quadruple-checking every single minute detail, and this soon spread to all other facets of her life and developed into what was officially diagnosed as moderate-severe Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, along with a crippling phobia of failure.

Twilight had been 17, coming on 18, when she first set foot outside Canterlot Castle again, and even then it was for very brief periods, usually only to the library or her parents' house, she never spoke to anyone except when she absolutely had to, and she always got everything done as quick as possible and then retreated back to her hideaway. Largely unbeknownst to her, Spike and later Celestia had long since explained to those who'd known her before her self-imposed exile the whole story – how badly Twilight had been affected, how she'd gained enough control and self-scrutiny to have a nigh-zero chance of recreating the catastrophic mishaps of her youth, but had been psychologically scarred by the events that pushed her to do so, how she'd suffered crippling damage to her sense of self-worth, self-confidence, and ability to interact with other ponies, and such. While a few of the ponies still distrusted and belittled her, the vast majority felt guilt and pity; they'd inadvertently irreparably (so they thought) damaged a talented young girl's self-image, caused her to throw away her childhood, and robbed her of the ability to feel good about herself. Unfortunately, it was far too late to undo what they'd done; whenever they rarely encountered Twilight in the year-and-a-quarter between leaving her isolation and moving to Ponyville, she'd ignored and ran from them before they could apologize or try to befriend her.

Moving to Ponyville had been the best thing to ever happen to Twilight, in the opinion of her parents and of the castle's therapist (in charge of ensuring the mental health of all Canterlot Castle personnel, from nobles to housemaids, and this included Twilight). A fresh start, away from Canterlot, nobody who knew her from her old life, a welcoming populace in sharp contrast to the isolationist elitists of the capital, and eventually a herd of friends who loved her unconditionally and would die for her if necessary. The months spent in that Fauna-blessed little town had done wonders to heal Twilight's years-deep mental wounds and issues.

But tonight, back in Canterlot, those old wounds had reopened somewhat. Being in the presence of so many ponies who she remembered insulting and cursing and belittling her had brought all that buried trauma up to the forefront. Eventually it had gotten to the point where she just couldn't stay with Celestia any longer, leaving her and heading off into the main ballroom. Unfortunately, she'd bumped into a group of about a half-dozen of her 'former clients' (ponies who'd solicited the help of her younger self, only for her then lack of magical fine control to mess things up badly), all of whom recognized her. None of them bore any ill will, and they were actually concerned and asking how she'd been, speaking carefully as if to a frightened child. However, Twilight's issues led to her perceiving them as being scornful and afraid of her, and their gradual unconscious crowding of her (a result of wanting to comfort and make it up to her) was all it took to trigger a panic attack.

Thankfully, Cadence had come to the rescue right when Twilight started hyperventilating. She embraced and comforted the upset girl while quietly shooing away her now-even-guiltier company, holding Twilight close until she'd calmed down. Cadence hadn't left Twilight's side since, and though she didn't get to hang out with Celestia as she'd planned, Twilight was certainly enjoying spending quality time with her favorite old babysitter.

Pinkie, meanwhile, was busy, but also quite happy. She'd been miserable at the dull, stuffy Gala with all those dull, stuffy ponies. But then she'd found others who were in the same boat as her: the children of the attending nobles, bored out of their minds. Pinkie had promptly gotten all the kids together in one of the side rooms and, with Spike's assistance, went to work entertaining them. Now, Pinkie had a big grin on her face, surrounded by happy young ponies she was making sure enjoyed the night.

Of course, not everyone was having a good time. Rarity grumbled; her dashing and handsome Prince Charming, dreamed about for so long, had turned out to be a Prince Charm_less_ – arrogant, ignorant, chauvinistic, stuck-up, lazy, closed-minded, disrespectful, elitist, racist against earth ponies & pegasi… Rarity could spend 20 minutes just going over the words that could be accurately used to describe Blueblood, not a single one of them complimentary. Her increasingly-unpleasant evening, however, got a bit of a reprieve as she spotted a familiar face.

"Trixie, darling!" she all but ran over to her friend, a confused Blueblood following. The pale-blue unicorn startled, and then gave a grin of equal parts nervousness and relief as she recognized Rarity. The dress that the flamboyant seamstress had made for her was the same shade of purple as her old hat and cape, with several tiny yellow, teal, and deep-blue stars 'embedded' in it. A star-shaped hairclip held her silver mane in place, most of it pulled back but a sizable lock hanging down in front of her face to hide her cybernetic right eye and the scar that ran across it.

"Hey, Rarity" she greeted. "…Who's he?"

"This is Prince Blueblood" Rarity replied, her expression and vocal tone making her distaste abundantly clear to Trixie, who could quickly tell that this stallion was one of those stuck-ups that infested Canterlot.

"I see" Trixie said, keeping her expression carefully neutral as she turned to the stallion. "So… Blueblood, was it?"

"_Prince_ Blueblood" he replied in a snooty tone.

"…Right" Trixie said with an utterly deadpan expression. "So what are your interests, Prince?"

"Well, I enjoy taking cruises in my royal air-yacht and looking down at the commoners below me, gracing the lower classes with my presence (so long as I don't have to touch them)…"

As he droned on about his jerkishness, Rarity and Trixie shared exasperated looks. Silently, Trixie reached out and laid a comforting hoof on Rarity's shoulders.

"I say, Blueblood, is that you?" an intolerably snooty-sounding stallion's voice was heard.

The trio turned to look as two more unicorns walked over. The male had a gray coat with black mane & tail, while the female had a pale-yellow coat and a pale-purple mane & tail with a white streak. Both were wearing extravagant outfits for the Gala, and both carried themselves just like Blueblood did. Rarity suppressed a groan; 'Oh no, two more of him' she thought.

"Jet Set! Upper Crust!" Blueblood greeted. "Fancy meeting you two here!"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world, old boy" Jet Set replied. "Of course, it would be nicer if the Gala were a bit more… exclusive in who was allowed to attend…" As he said this, he chanced a look at an upper-middle-class couple, an earth-pony stallion and unicorn mare.

"Quite so, Mr. Set" Blueblood said. "The lower classes, the non-unicorns…"

Rarity and Trixie repressed simultaneous groans.

"And how have you been, Ms. Crust?" Blueblood inquired his snooty friend's equally-snooty wife.

"The party's been fine, but I had the most _dreadful_ experience a few days ago" the stuck-up noblewoman replied. "I was walking along the market street when I accidentally brushed against a – _ugh_ – manual laborer. Naturally, I endeavored to gain some distance, and in the process I lost my footing and strained a muscle in my leg. I could hardly put weight on it until my maid used her healing magic half an hour later! Oh, it was the worst pain imaginable!"

"Hah!"

The nobles jumped in surprise at Trixie's sudden exclamation, turning and seeing a rather angry look on her face. "_Excuse_ me?-!" she said. "I'm sorry, but you don't get to complain about pain around me! I'd bet you've never done a minute of honest work in your life, and I'm _damn_ sure that you'd fold like a house of cards if you'd gone through what I have. Tell you what…" she reached a hoof up and lifted her mane, exposing her right eye, causing the three nobles to gasp. "Why don't _you_ go get your eye slashed out by a raging beast half again your size, with no magic to protect you, and _then_ talk to me about _pain_?-!"

There was shocked silence except for Trixie panting lightly, her scar-crossed mechanical eye gazing at the shocked and slightly unnerved nobles. She put her hoof down, letting her mane hide her eye again, and then turned and walked away. Rarity shot Blueblood and his cronies a glare, and with a "Hmph!" she turned and walked after Trixie, catching up and stepping side-by-side with her.

"That…" Trixie huffed "is why I've _never_ been able to stand the upper class. Sorry you had to see that."

"Oh, no trouble at all" Rarity replied. "I am wholeheartedly in agreement. The first few upper-classers I've met in my life were rather pleasant, humble, and open-minded, but it appears they were the exception to the rule."

"So how bad was your 'date'?" Trixie asked.

And so Rarity launched into a tirade about Blueblood, Trixie nodding at the appropriate moments as her friends described exactly what she'd expected. They were so absorbed in their conversation that they bumped into someone else.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I wasn't…" Rarity's apologies were cut off as she got a good look at the mare. She had a white coat and red eyes, and a simple bowtie was the extent of her fancy dress for the evening. But three characteristics stood out to Rarity: her musical note Cutie Mark, the pair of goggles hanging around her neck, and her wild, untamable two-toned blue mane. The eyes of Rarity and the new mare widened simultaneously.

"Vinyl?" Rarity asked.

"Rarity?" Vinyl Scratch replied.

They were still for a few seconds, and then both let out simultaneous gleeful squeals of "Cousin!" as they latched onto each other in a hug, to Trixie's bemusement.

"Wow, what're you doing here, cuz?" Vinyl said.

"I should be asking you the same question, darling" Rarity replied. "You _loathe_ this type of get-together, don't you?"

"Yeah, but I'm here for Tavi's sake."

"…Who's Tavi?"

"Vinyl?" a new, refined voice called. "Who is that you're with?"

Rarity looked… and gasped as she laid eyes on a certain, rather famous earth pony, a grey coat with black mane & tail, a pink treble-cleft Cutie Mark.

"O-Oc-Octavia Sharp?" she stammered.

"Yo, Tavi!" Vinyl grinned. "Meet my cousin Rarity!"

Octavia's eyes widened. "Rarity Belle?" she asked, surprised. "Vinyl, you never told me your cousin was a famous dressmaker!"

Vinyl chuckled. "Did you ever _ask_?"

Octavia's expression became a deadpan one in response. She shook it off as she walked over to Rarity, exchanging pleasantries. After a little of this, another pony joined the group.

"Whew!" Pinkie wiped a forehead across her brow. "I love playing with those kids, but it's a bit tiring. Thank goodness Spike agreed to watch 'em for a few minutes while I…" she trailed off as she stared at the musician next to Rarity, eyes going wide. "…Octavia?"

Octavia looked confused for a few seconds, before shocked recognition set in. "Pinkamena?"

Pinkie winced. "That's not who I am anymore, cousin" she replied, her tone unusually morose. "I threw that part of me away when I ran away from… that place."

"Wait" Vinyl interrupted. "Tavi, you never mentioned you were related to Pinkie the Premier Party Planner Pink Pony of Ponyville!"

"And Pinkie, you never told _me_ you were related to one of the most famous and accomplished cellists in Equestria!" Rarity added. "…Though I guess I never told _you_ that the famous 'DJ P0N-3' is my cousin, either…"

"And I had no idea that my missing cousin was even _alive_, much less friends with an accomplished designer who apparently happens to be my best friend's cousin" Octavia said. "Pinkame… Pinkie, I haven't seen you since we were six years old! Mother mentioned how you'd had a nasty falling-out with your family and ran away, but I never heard anything after that. You dropped off the grid; we all thought you were long dead!"

Pinkie sighed. "It's a long and really depressing story, Octy. I'm kinda taking care of a bunch of kids right now, and I don't really wanna tell a tale that'll get me all depressed when I'm in the middle of that. We'll talk afterwards?"

"S-Sure" Octavia replied.

Pinkie's expression brightened considerably as she turned to Octavia's company. "Hey, Scratch! What a surprise seeing you here! I can't believe you're my friend's cousin!"

"I know, huh?" Vinyl replied, offering a hoof-bump which Pinkie quickly returned. "I haven't seen ya since we did that gig down in Ponyville for the New Year's party. Sorry I couldn't make it for the Summer Sun Celebration this year."

"Eh, it's okay. In case you hadn't heard, things got… kinda hectic."

"Understatement of the frickin' millennium" Rarity murmured.

"So what've you two been up to?" Scratch asked the two Element-Bearers.

As that quartet continued their conversation, Twilight sat at one of the tables with Cadence, munching on a snack. Fortunately, word seemed to have spread that Twilight was to be left alone by those not part of her inner circle, so she was free of any further panic attacks. She was just starting to finally relax when she caught sight of two familiar faces approaching her.

"Applejack?" she asked. "What's wrong with Fluttershy?"

AJ let out a sigh as she escorted the frazzled, depressed-looking pegasus over to a seat at the table, before then taking a seat herself. "It seems that I ain't the only one havin' a cruddy night here" the cowgirl replied wearily.

"I just…" Fluttershy sniffled. "I j-just wanted to make friends with the animals. But they…"

Cadence put a comforting wing over the distraught girl's shoulders.

"And I've barely made any money at all" Applejack added. She let out a deep, despondent sigh. "So much for Granny Smith's new hip…"

Any further lamentations were cut off by Shion running up. "Girls, something's wrong" she said, controlled panic in her voice. "I got bored and decided to meditate, and when I did I sensed a _big_ dark presence approaching. Trouble's coming; we need to find Celestia and get the nobles out of here before-"

There was a short, surprised scream from one of the nobles as a dark creature – a Shadow Heartless – emerged from the wall next to her. A blast of magic from Aqua hit it just as it leapt at the frozen-in-shock mare, destroying it and leaving her unharmed. In response, scores of Heartless began appearing. Very quickly, the mood of the party shifted; the civilian attendees began panicking, while Royal Guardsmen, dimensional-coalition personnel, and mingling Project Corona agents sprang into action, some heading off and engaging the dark creatures while others began herding the civvies to safety. The coalition's three present spec-ops teams assumed their normal forms (if they weren't in them already) and readied their weapons.

"Just like the Governor's Ball in New Ostia…" Teana grumbled. "Can we go to _one_ fancy shindig without it being attacked? Is that too much to ask for?"

"Alright," Aqua shouted, "pick your targets and attack at will! Let's chase these things off!"

She rushed a pack of Soldiers and Neoshadows, and the others followed in her wake.

**-**_**CHAPTER END**_**-**

Next Time: Three boss fights


	15. Party Crashers

This chapter's delay was caused by A) finishing my third _Wings Of Liberty_ playthrough and playing through the entirety of _Heart Of The Swarm_; and B) writer's block. Mostly the latter, really; writing three epic fight scenes was HARD. I actually had to cut the fights shorter than I would've liked because I ran into Writer's Blocks that not even the Elements of Harmony could've blasted through. Apologies to all of you for the wait.

Young Xehanort's Keyblade is far too complex for me to adequately describe in text. Go to the _Kingdom Hearts_ Wiki and go to Young Xehanort's page, and then scroll down to the "Weapons" section. There should be a picture of the intricate and nasty-looking weapon.

ATTENTION: Book 14 Chapter 4 has been altered; Narud is no longer in the form of Duran, and thus Kerrigan does not yet know that the two are one & the same. ALSO: _HOTS _is now set to be Book 22; _Mass Effect 3_ and _Halo 4_ have been pushed to Books 23 and 24, respectively.

**PLEASE SEE CHAPTER ONE FOR MOST DISCLAIMERS**

PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE & CHARACTER PAGES

**-**_**CHAPTER START**_**-**

**Canterlot Castle**

**Night of the Grand Galloping Gala – 9:35 PM**

Within several minutes, the scenes inside and around the castle had changed dramatically. Nearly all of the attendees had been sequestered in safe zones in, around, or under the castle, guarded by Royal Guard personnel. Coalition and Equestrian Armed Forces personnel were engaged with the enemy, meeting the Heartless head-on. The three alicorns had entered a contest of sorts: who could take down the most Heartless without flying and without using any magic higher than C-Rank in power; Luna was winning, at the moment. The Mane Six were doing what they could, applying what Gamma Team's girls had taught them along with their own skills. Spike, Fluttershy, Pinkie, and the still-magicless Trixie were watching over the children.

The defenders got a stroke of good fortune as a dimensional transference spell sprang up in the center of the main ballroom, and from it emerged seven familiar figures, five wielding Keyblades and the other two wielding a staff and a shield. Sora, Riku, Kairi, Donald, Goofy, Mickey, and Lea immediately went into action, splitting up and beginning to carve through the Heartless in droves. Soon, Sora was in the courtyard, fighting alongside Teana and Applejack; Riku was with Ahsoka, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash in a large, wide room decorated by massive stained-glass murals; Aqua and Mickey were with Twilight in the throne room; and Kairi, Lea, Donald, & Goofy were with several Corona agents in the main ballroom.

Suddenly, a new and unwelcome addition to the attackers made itself known. Sora pulled Applejack out of the way of a shadowy claw reaching up from the ground, while at the same time Ahsoka used her lightsabers to deflect several red energy bolts, and Mickey shielded Aqua from a barrage of dark energy blasts.

**(The following three events/scenes/battles take place simultaneously)**

**-**_**Group Sora**_**-**

"Who did that?-!" Sora shouted, Kingdom Key at the ready. "Show yourself!"

A subdued evil chuckle was heard. "I am not too surprised that you noticed and foiled my attempt to take out one of your companions, Sora" a smooth, deep voice said. "Things are never easy when it comes to dealing with you."

A swirling dark portal appeared on the ground, and from it rose a tall man with long white hair and tanned skin, clad in black robes with the hood down, his hands covered by white gloves instead of the normal black, a calm smirk on his face below gold eyes. Sora scowled and gripped his weapon tighter, Teana and AJ readying themselves as well as they recognized the newcomer; AJ removed her dress for ease of movement, making sure her hat was still in place.

"Xehanort's Heartless…" Sora growled. "What are you doing here?"

"Just trying to find something to relieve a little boredom" the 'man' replied. "I fought Riku during your and his Mark of Mastery Exam, but I haven't gotten to see how much _you've_ improved since your first adventure, when we clashed in that world outside the Worlds. I think I'll test the capabilities of you three for a while."

"You want a fight, you've got one" Teana said, Mirage Longswords at the ready.

Xehanort's Heartless smirked. "Good…"

(BOSS MUSIC: _Kingdom Hearts 3D _OST – "_L'Eminenza Oscura I_")

In a burst of darkness, his Guardian formed. It made a few hand-seals, and in response a massive magical barrier – around 28 meters across – formed in/around the courtyard, with the trio and XH at the center. "Now then…" he said. "Let us play…"

His opening move was a Dark Firaga barrage; a Round Shield from Teana and a Reflega from Sora protected the trio from the fireballs. Teana responded with quality over quantity, firing off a _Katon: Gōkakyū_ at the Seeker of Darkness. The massive blast of flame crashed against a Dark Barrier that dispersed about half of the attack's power before shattering, so Xehanort's Guardian was able to blast the weakened fireball away with a burst of dark power loosed by a swing of its arms.

Before the smoke and embers had even cleared, Sora came rushing in, striking out with his Keyblade; 'Ansem' barely managed to dodge it, leaping back and unleashing a shotgun-burst of Darkness bolts. The attack hit Sora dead-on, tearing into him… and, with a burst of smoke, he seemingly transformed into a battered rock that was blasted into chunks by the attack. Xehanort's Heartless was then struck from behind by a Strike Raid, catching him off-guard.

"I _knew_ learning that Substitution Technique from the shinobi before I came here was a good idea" Sora said as his Keyblade teleported back to his hand.

Xehanort's Heartless responded with several whirling disks of purple energy, all of which flew at Sora, tracking him. Sora flew into motion as the homing attacks went at him, dodging and running, blocking with his Keyblade against any he couldn't avoid. While this was happening, Xehanort's Guardian had to act fast in order to block Teana's attacks, Crossfire Shot bolts and strikes from Mirage Longsword battering the human-form Heartless' defense. With his guardian entity thus occupied, Xehanort's Heartless was caught off-guard by Applejack, who landed a full power double-kick; the dark being conjured a shield and reinforced his body with magic for protection, but the former shattered like glass while the latter barely saved him from serious injury.

Applejack then leapt out of the way, avoiding being skewered by the Guardian's claws by a matter of inches. By this point Sora had managed to deal with the last of the energy disks, and he leapt in with a flurry of blows. Teana joined in, and together they overwhelmed the Guardian, landing several strikes on Xehanort's Heartless, though his supernatural nature meant that it didn't do anything serious, the effects of Teana's blade-strikes being converted to magical damage rather than physically cutting him, while Sora's Keyblade dealt magical damage by default (it being the only way to kill a Heartless such that it wouldn't spontaneously resurrect at a later date, which a Heartless killed by non-magical means always would).

Xehanort's Guardian growled as it loosed an all-directions pulse of dark power, blasting Sora & Teana back; they landed on their feet unharmed, but their assault had been stopped. The dark Guardian then detached from Xehanort's Heartless and dove underground, while XH unleashed a barrage of violet energy bolts. Applejack kept in motion, dodging any bolts that came near her, while Teana either blocked with her blades or intercepted with precise Crossfire Shots. The Guardian suddenly popped out of the ground right behind Teana, only for Sora to hit it with a Strike Raid, stopping its attack and stunning it long enough for Teana to hit it with a magic-supercharged punch, knocking it back at Xehanort's Heartless. Another Strike Raid from Sora then hit Xehanort's Heartless dead on, sending him reeling.

XH quickly recovered, and with a snarl he manifested Xehanort's Keyblade, the large spiky evil-looking black-&-silver weapon appearing in a burst of blackness. XH then pointed the blade at the trio, dark magic gathering at its tip and then releasing in the form of a massive wave of life-seeking bolts of Darkness magic. Sora countered by casting Ragnarok to intercept some of them, while Teana used Fire-type _Sagitta Magica_ to shoot down others. They both then cast Shield spells around themselves and AJ to weather the rest of the bolts. Immediately after their shields lowered, however, Sora had to act fast, bringing his Kingdom Key up to block a downward strike from Xehanort's Heartless that nearly made his knees buckle from the force. The Guardian moved to block Teana's attempt to help Sora, leaving XH open to a bone-crushing blow from Applejack, which allowed Sora to land his own counter-strike.

Xehanort's Heartless vanished underground in a burst of Darkness, reappearing several meters away. He was beginning to really feel the effects of the blows dealt to him. After several seconds composing himself, he gripped his Keyblade and charged, and Sora ran forward to meet him, the two clashing in a hectic duel. Applejack jumped in, focusing on keeping the Dark Guardian busy, stopping it from attacking/distracting Sora. AJ dodged claw-swipes and lashed out with high-strength blows, while Sora parried and blocked XH's attacks and launched his own counters. Neither duo was able to gain the advantage over the other. Sora gritted his teeth as he batted away a swing made at his shoulder, and then struck out with a punch to the gut that knocked XH back a bit, stunning him for a brief moment. Sora and Applejack leapt away…

…just in time for Teana, Rasengan in hand, to smash her attack into XH's chest. The violent sphere of chaotically rotating chakra pushed and grinded against Xehanort's Heartless for several seconds, and then 'detonated', sending him hurtling/spinning back with great force into a wall. After several seconds, he pulled himself free from the him-shaped indentation he'd left, one hand clutching at the wound in his torso which leaked purple and black miasma instead of blood. He took a few steps, and then he summoned a Dark Gateway and staggered through it, his Guardian following. As the dark portal closed, the barrier surrounding the immediate area faded away.

"C'mon" Teana said. "Let's go help the others take out the Heartless foot-soldiers."

**-**_**Group Riku**_**-**

Ahsoka looked all around, trying to find who had shot those bolts. Riku pointed up, and the quartet looked up to see a lone, black-robed figure standing atop a statue of some famous Equestrian military leader from a centuries-past war.

"I was not expecting that you and your companions would be here, Riku" the hooded man said with a deep, smooth voice. He reached up, pulling his hood down to reveal himself. "Though, by this point, nothing connected to you or Sora surprises me anymore."

"Xemnas…" Riku gripped the Road To Dawn, while Ahsoka held her lightsabers at the ready, Rarity's horn pulsed with magic ready to be unleashed, and Dash flexed her wings and eagerly awaited the chance to deal an aerial beatdown. "Why are you here?"

"Originally I came to scout out this world's magic-users, to evaluate their potential threat level" Xemnas said. "But since you're here, I wish to test your ability, and see how much you have improved since I fought you and Sora in that realm on the edge of Nothingness. …Your companions are, of course, welcome to join you; fighting you and them at the same time will be an excellent test of _my_ growth in power."

"You really think you can take on all four of us at once?" Ahsoka asked.

Xemnas smirked as he slowly raised his arms out to the sides. "There is only one way to find out."

(BOSS MUSIC: _Kingdom Hearts 3D _OST – "_L'Oscuritá dell'Ignoto_")

A pulse of power emanated from Xemnas, rapidly encompassing the entire large room and its five occupants in a magical barrier. Then, he leapt down, using a basic spell to transfer his kinetic energy from the 30-foot drop into the floor instead of his leg-bones, cracking the tiles beneath his feet upon impact. Landing in a crouch, he formed his crimson energy blades from his hands, and then in a burst of speed he charged.

Immediately Ahsoka moved to intercept him, and he launched into a dancing flurry of blows, trying to circumvent her defense. She managed to hold him off long enough for Riku to move in, forcing Xemnas to leap back and gain some distance. Xemnas fired several red energy bolts, crashing against a Dark Barrier quickly formed by Riku. Rarity channeled her magic into the ground beneath Xemnas, and the stone tiles of the floor warped into large spikes that shot upward, forcing him to cut off his attack and leap high to avoid being skewered. While he was in midair, he was hit by a high-speed tackle from Rainbow Dash that knocked him back through the air; he landed on his feet near the far wall, and immediately countered with a barrage of energy bolts, only for the nimble pegasus to dodge them all as she returned to the others.

Riku rushed Xemnas, Keyblade in hand, and Xemnas ran to meet him. The two met halfway, clashing blades in a frenzy of lethal movement. Ahsoka soon joined in, and together the two gradually pushed Xemnas back. After a short while of this, Xemnas formed a semi-transparent Barrier Shield between him and them, and then pushed it towards them, shoving them back. His following attempt to charge and fire a tightly-clustered burst of energy bolts was foiled by Rainbow Dash hitting him from the side, throwing his attack wildly off-course, missing Riku & Ahsoka by at least eight feet. Dash then threw herself backward to lessen the blow from the kick that Xemnas lashed out with, the attack only grazing her and not doing serious damage.

Ahsoka went on the attack, channeling lightning chakra through and around her lightsabers as she dueled Xemnas. As their swords clashed, he summoned a swarm of crimson energy bolts around the two of them and psychically commanded them to converge on Ahsoka from all directions at once, only for a Dark Barrier from Riku, reinforced with a basic Shield spell from Rarity, to spring up around Ahsoka and block the bolts. The barrier then exploded outward, stunning Xemnas for a brief moment. Ahsoka lunged forward and struck a glancing blow with the extra half a foot of lightning chakra that extended from the tip of one of her lightsabers.

Xemnas flash-stepped back, gaining distance from Ahsoka, and then barely reacted in time to avoid a telekinetically-launched stone dart to the face from Rarity. He retaliated with a single large explosive bolt of crimson energy that nearly shattered the rock wall she quickly conjured to protect herself. Ahsoka charged Xemnas again, and he managed to exploit a brief flaw in one of her attacks to hit her hard, sending her flying toward the wall; she had reinforced her body with the Force to stop any serious damage from being dealt. She landed halfway up the wall, using chakra to cling to it. Then she gasped as she saw a _massive_ storm of red energy bolts coming at her. She burst into motion, running alongside the wall as the huge barrage blasted into the wall right behind her, keeping pace. As she ran across a large stained-glass mural, she heard the glass shattering under the assault. Finally, just when it was about to catch up to her, a blue blur plucked her out of harm's way. Xemnas attempted to lock on to Rainbow Dash and fire a seeker barrage, only to be caught from the side by a Darkness-enhanced punch to the face from Riku. He was sent tumbling several meters before regaining control and flowing into a flip that landed him on his feet.

"Not bad" he said. "Rather impressive, all of you."

"There's more where that came from" Ahsoka replied.

Xemnas smirked. "I don't doubt it" he said. "But I believe I've seen enough for the time being. You've proven yourselves as worthy adversaries; we'll have to keep our eyes on you. Farewell, until next time."

With that, he formed and stepped through a Dark Portal, vanishing; the barrier he summoned around the area dispelled.

"C'mon!" Dash said. "Let's go help with the small-fry!"

The quartet left, on the way to assist against the ever-dwindling Heartless horde.

(AN: I am so, so sorry this potentially-epic fight was so unforgivably short. But I spent _four straight days_ staring at the "There's more where that came from" line, trying and trying and trying to think of more to add to the fight, to make it long enough that one could listen through the entire picked song whilst reading the fight, and I _failed_. The last writer's block of this chapter, in the XH fight, took a day and a half to bust through, but this one was just plain unbustable. If, months from now, while rereading this fic, I think of something, I'll edit the chapter. But until then, this barely-a-blink fight is all you'll get. I am sorry.)

**-**_**Group Aqua**_**-**

Aqua, Mickey, and Twilight looked all around the throne room, trying to pinpoint their attacker. Then, they found him: a black-robed human figure, sitting in a lazy slouch on Celestia's throne.

"You have commendable reflexes, King Mickey" the man said as he got to his feet, slowly walking down the steps. "That was one of my best sneak-attack spells, with Darkness bolts of great speed and utter silence; few can even sense it coming, much less react in time to stop it."

He pulled his hood down, revealing a youthful face framed by locks of silver hair.

"Xehanort's younger incarnation" Mickey gripped his Keyblade. "What's this all about?"

"I wish to fight you three, so as to gauge your skills and power level. And, also, I am somewhat bored, and a good fight will give me something to do."

"And if we refuse?" Aqua asked.

"You don't get that option" Young Xehanort replied.

He snapped his fingers, and a Barrier Field sprang up, encompassing the throne room and the four individuals in it. In response, Aqua and Mickey readied their blades, while Twilight's horn glowed with magic.

(BOSS MUSIC: _Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep_ OST – "Dark Impetus")

Young Xehanort gave a subdued chuckle as an aura of dark power erupted around him. He held out his hand, and his Keyblade – an intricate combination of blues and blacks, covered in spikes – formed in a flash of Darkness. "Let's play" he said.

He then made his opening strike, moving so fast as to leave an afterimage. Aqua bit back a curse as she barely brought the Master Keeper up in time to block a downward swing aimed at her head. She kicked him in the midsection, pushing him back, and he then flash-stepped back to avoid her follow-up swing. YX pointed his Keyblade at the group, and a barrage of black-tinted blue energy bolts shot out. Aqua formed a Barrier Shield around herself, Mickey, and Twilight, deflecting the attacks. As soon as the shield lowered, Mickey fired a blast of Light magic that raced through the air right towards YX, who leapt to the side to dodge it. He fired a freezing blast of ice magic at the trio, only for a burst of conjured fire from Twilight to cancel it out.

Aqua went on the offensive, charging Young Xehanort and meeting blades with him. They dueled for a short while until Mickey leapt in, YX flipping back to avoid a strike aimed at his neck by the king. He made a lunging motion with his Keyblade, and the glowing blue shaft transformed into magical energy connected to the teeth/head, forming a whip-like weapon that he began swinging, slashing, and thrusting at the duo, pushing them back and keeping them on the defensive. Twilight put a stop to that with a rapid-fire barrage of magenta-colored magic bolts, and YX had to recall his weapon and use it to deflect them.

Mickey took the chance to rush forward and attack, launching a whirlwind assault of Keyblade strikes that Young Xehanort was only just able to defend against. After a little of this, YX conjured three pillars of flame around himself, forcing Mickey back, and then rushed forward at the trio while the flames moved with him. The three scrambled to get out of the way, Twilight feeling the tip of her tail get singed as she barely avoided a hit. A few more repetitions of the flaming charge failed to score any blows, and YX transitioned from the last into a flurry of Keyblade strikes at Aqua, who blocked as best she could.

Aqua formed a Barrier Shield around herself and then made it 'detonate', shoving Young Xehanort back. She then followed up with a diagonal swing, only for him to flash-step away, reappearing directly behind Mickey and striking… only for the little king to vanish in a burst of magenta light, Twilight teleporting him out of harm's way and over to her side. Mickey then took aim and cast Ragnarok, three successive waves of magical projectiles curving through the air towards YX. He was able to shield against or dodge most of them, but a few of them hit. Once he'd weathered that storm, he charged his Keyblade with power and then swung, unleashing a slicing wave of dark magic that raced towards Twilight and Mickey. Aqua flash-stepped in, using the Master Keeper to block the attack and then throwing the Keyblade in a Strike Raid. YX threw his own, the two weapons bouncing off each other and teleporting back to their owners' hands.

Young Xehanort went on the offensive again, flash-stepping toward the trio in a zigzag pattern. He appeared directly in front of Aqua, and the young woman barely managed to block in time. In the middle of his ensuing barrage of strikes, he broke off and flash-stepped towards the other two. Twilight suddenly experienced the world around her speeding up, enough to almost make her dizzy… No, she realized, the world hadn't sped up; she'd been slowed down – hit with a Slow spell! There was a blur of motion as Mickey intercepted Young Xehanort's attempt to strike a finishing blow on Twilight, and the little king slowly forced YX back, keeping him busy long enough for Twilight to cast a counter-spell, returning her to normal temporality.

Calling up one of her new combat spells, Twilight concentrated, taking hold of her magic and converting it into its affinity while spinning it. The result was a quartet of whirling disks of fire floating around her. She gave the mental command, and they shot forward, spinning through the air towards Young Xehanort with considerable speed. YX leapt out of the way, one cutting/burning the edge of his coat; no sooner had he landed, however, than he saw the four disks change course, coming back around and heading at him again. He started running and flash-stepping around, and they chased him. He fired a Blizzaga spell at one of them, snuffing it out, and then struck another with his Keyblade, taking it out as well. After a little more cat-and-mouse, he took the third one down with another Keyblade strike, and then leapt over the other one… which King Mickey 'caught' with the edge of his Keyblade, spun, and then launched straight back at him, only for the attack to impact a Dark Barrier shield-spell formed in front of YX's outstretched hand.

Aqua went on the attack, showing the results of her training in the form of a _Suiton: Suikōdan_ aimed at Young Xehanort. YX fired another 'sword beam' from his Keyblade at the shark-shaped flying mass of water, but it did little good. He hit it with a Slow spell followed by the strongest Blizzaga spell he could muster; that did the trick, the resulting animal-shaped hunk of ice falling to the floor with a thud and breaking into pieces. Ice gave way to fire, as a Firaga spell from King Mickey impacted a hastily-formed Reflera spell in front of YX, the small explosion shattering the defense and shoving him backward. He growled as he channeled his power for something big. A large amount of his blue-and-black Darkness projectiles formed around the trio… along with several more of the same attack, snatched from their points in time and brought to the present, forming a massive dome of death, hundreds of Darkness bolts ready to converge in on the heroes.

"Well, this stinks" Twilight said.

Young Xehanort snapped his fingers, and the entire all-directions wall of Darkness and death came rushing in at the hero trio all at once. They were obscured by flashes of light and a cloud of smoke as the barrage continued for several seconds. When it ended, YX slowly walked toward the slowly-fading smoke cloud. He then got the shock of his life when a Strike Raid from Mickey hit him in the back, nearly knocking him over. He turned around, and saw Aqua, Mickey, and Twilight standing a few dozen feet away.

"I can teleport, remember?" Twilight said. "Though I'll admit, I almost didn't get us out of there in time; I had, like, a third of a second to spare. You almost did us in."

"…Hmph" Young Xehanort smirked. "I'd say that's enough for today. You three have proven yourselves an entertaining diversion. I can sense that Xemnas has already pulled out, and the 'Seeker of Darkness' is preparing to as well, and the Heartless are being routed as the Royal Guard regroup; I have no further reason to stay here. We'll be keeping an eye on you…"

A Dark Portal formed behind him, and he stepped backward through it, the gateway closing after he'd passed through. The barrier-field encompassing the room faded away.

"We'd better go help the others" Mickey said.

The other two nodded, and followed the little king out into the courtyard.

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

Clean-up was proceeding without any serious hitches. All things considered, the castle had gotten off fairly well. There were some injuries, a few serious, but no fatalities from the Heartless attack. The 'Main Group' had regrouped at a donut shop, accompanied by Gamma Team and by Vinyl & Octavia; Rainbow Dash was very surprised that her prim & proper friend Rarity was cousins with _the_ DJ P0N-3, and the two had hit it off splendidly.

Pinkie was telling her cousin Octavia of her various misadventures; she had reluctantly told her about Pinka, who'd popped out to say hello before retreating into the safety of her & Pinkie's mindscape (she wasn't very good with crowds, hence she'd been taking the backseat for most of the Gala as well). Teana, meanwhile, was trying not to sulk at not getting the chance to reveal either of her two new big trump-cards.

The three alicorns walked in the door, quickly making themselves comfortable.

"Well," Celestia said, "while it wasn't exactly how I planned it, I'm _so_ glad that something broke up the monotony of the Gala. …Even if I didn't win our little contest…" she muttered.

Cadence simply sat there with an uncharacteristic smug grin, content in her victory; this was the first time she'd _ever_ beaten Celly at _anything_.

"I didn't think they'd be so bold as to pull what they did tonight" Sarah said.

"I kinda saw it coming" Shion replied. "If only because of what happened the last time we went to a fancy shindig in a major capital protected by military forces. At least the Gala didn't end as badly as New Ostia."

"Amen to that" Marie murmured as she bit into a glazed donut.

"So whaddya think's gonna happen to us next?" Rainbow Dash said.

"With our luck?" Teana replied. "We'll run into one of the Dark Voice's Hybrids, or whatever corrupted Princess Luna a millennium ago, or something along those lines. Or that Checker bitch will pop out of hiding with a power-up, or the Prophet of Truth will come back from the dead, or some other crazy thing."

"Eh, it'll probably be something minor" Pinkie said.

As the night went on, they all forgot their worries for a while and enjoyed the pleasure of each other's company. And donuts; everything's better with donuts.

**-**_**CHAPTER END**_**-**

Next Time: Loosely-connected developments further the story.

My decision not to use _KH3D_'s "_L'Impeto Oscuro_" for the fight against Young Xehanort was intentional; that tune's planned for a future fight in a future Book.


	16. Family

Sorry for the wait; I'm doing that "work on two fics at once" thing again. The other story's on FIM-Fiction, called "Breakdown". So I had to work through _two_ writer's blocks, one for each story.

This chapter mostly focuses on the locals. Next chapter will have something more closely connected to the coalition.

**PLEASE SEE CHAPTER ONE FOR MOST DISCLAIMERS**

PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE & CHARACTER PAGES

**-**_**CHAPTER START**_**-**

**Ponyville**

**Next Morning – 8:10 AM**

Twilight Sparkle slowly awoke in her bed. Normally, she was up & about by 7:30, but last night had been… rather tiring, to say the least, and Spike had convinced her that she could afford to sleep in a little; he'd just get breakfast for them both from Sugarcube Corner and bring it back for her to eat when she woke up. Her eyelids slowly opened halfway, looking up at her ceiling, sunlight streaming in through the gap of her window's curtains. She yawned, and rolled over onto her side… and froze.

She'd just felt something brush against her side. After a few seconds, she felt it moving again, slowly up her side and heading up for her belly. Curious, she lifted the bedsheet…

Spike, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie walked down the street, waving hello to the few ponies out & about as they headed for the library, Spike carrying a box of donuts. Suddenly, however, there was an impossibly loud, ear-piercing scream of utter terror that went on for several seconds. Everyone stopped and turned in the direction of the library.

"Twilight!" Spike was off like a shot, running as fast as his little legs could carry him. Fluttershy scooped him up and flew him (and the donuts) at a faster pace, Pinkie close behind. By the time they got there, they found Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, and Shion there as well. Applejack dramatically bucked down the library door, and everyone rushed up the stairs to Twilight's room. When they opened the door, they found Twilight clinging tightly to a support beam over her bed, her mane and coat standing on end and a wild look of panic in her eyes.

"What's wrong, Twi?" AJ asked.

Twilight pointed a hoof down at her bed. "It's in my bed!" she screamed. "It was _crawling on me_! Burn it! Send it to Hell!"

Rainbow Dash scoffed. "It's probably some tiny bug that's, like, an inch long; totally callin' it now." She walked over to the bed, reaching out to remove the sheet and reveal what was beneath it. "You gotta chill, Twi. It's just some lost little- HOLY CRAP!-!"

Dash immediately flew about 10 feet back as the intruder was revealed: a _large_ centipede, around a foot long, dozens of little legs twitching, jaws and antennae wiggling around. Most of the others jumped back a bit as well.

"Buh…" Rarity was twitching, looking slightly faint. "Buh-B-Big bug. _Big_."

"Sweet Celestia, it's like a snake and a spider did the nasty" Applejack said.

"Oh my…" Fluttershy walked closer to it, fascinated. "It's a _Scolopendra gigantea_."

"I don't care what that spawn of Morning Star is called!" Twilight replied from the ceiling. "_Get it the hell out of my house_!-!"

"You don't normally see these outside of the Everfree Forest" Fluttershy continued, now in her nature-related version of Twilight's 'Lecture Mode'. "They're arthropods, related to spiders and scorpions. These are the largest known species of centipede, maxing out at around 30 centimeters. They're known to be rather nervous and aggressive; it's a surprise that it didn't bite you. Their bite combines acetylcholine, histamine, serotonin, proteases, and a cardiodepressent factor; they use it to kill and eat other arthropods, insects, and small vertebrates like lizards, mice, and bats." She looked up at Twilight with a rather odd smile. "Nature is so fascinating."

"Fluttershyyy~!" Twilight squealed. "Get it out of my bed!-!"

"Rarity? If you would please open the window so I have a clear path?" Fluttershy asked.

The unicorn in question quickly telekinetically opened the bedroom window and pulled the curtains back. Fluttershy then gingerly reached out, slowly picking the creature up.

"Oh. My. _God_." Twilight was breathing a little faster as she squeaked out, climbing the tonal register. "She's touching it, she's touching it, she'stouchingitshe'stouchingitshe'stouchingit…"

"Don't worry, little fella" Fluttershy cooed. "We'll get you back into the forest where it's nice and safe."

As the "super-centipede" curled itself around Fluttershy's forelimb, Twilight let out an "Ewwww" of increasing pitch that transitioned into a terrified squeal/scream as Fluttershy took to the air, inadvertently bringing the arthropod abomination within a couple feet of her. "Get it _away_!" she screamed. "Get it away getitawaygetitawaygetitawaygetitaway_getitawaaaaayyy!-!-!_"

As Fluttershy fluttered out the window, Twilight remained clinging to the ceiling.

"…I can't get down" she whimpered. "Someone help, please?"

Rainbow Dash flew up and grabbed hold of the still-petrified girl, bringing her down to the ground. She sat Twilight down in her bed, but Twi immediately leapt out of the bed like it was on fire, choosing instead to sit on the floor, hugging herself and quivering like a frightened Chihuahua. Wordlessly, Applejack and Rarity pulled her into a hug, and she slowly calmed down over the next several minutes. Finally, her stomach made its displeasure at being empty known to everyone.

"And that's why I brought breakfast" Spike said, opening the donut box with a flourish.

Twilight stared at the selection with an increasingly-hungry gaze. "A-Are those donut holes?"

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Same Day – 3:30 PM**

**Dash's House**

Fluttershy felt a tad amazed as she walked into the house. Rainbow's home had always been… well, a mess, to put it bluntly. But now it looked somewhat tidier than it had when she'd last been in here. Dash was sitting on the couch, and waved Fluttershy over upon seeing her.

"Goodness, Rainbow" Fluttershy said. "I don't think I've ever seen your house this… neat before."

"Yeah," Dash replied, "I figured that my old 'organized mess' was _not_ a safe place for an eight-year-old to live. Remember when you guys hardly saw me during that day before I brought Scootaloo here? I spent almost that whole damn day sprucin' up this place, makin' it child-friendly and stuff. I think I did a fairly good job, wouldn't ya say?"

Fluttershy nodded, and then giggled. "I'm surprised to see you being so responsible, Dash" she grinned.

Rainbow blushed a little as she smiled. "Y-Yeah, yeah… I gotta say, though: I'm comin' to really like havin' the kid here. She's got a strong little fire in her heart, just like I did when I was her age. She's actually got pretty strong wings and flight muscles; her wings just haven't grown big enough yet for that strength to do her much good in terms of actual flying. She's got a heck of an appetite, just like me; that's why I'm glad that the Apples and the Cakes have been helpin' me out in terms of food. She's a bundle of energy, and she gets the cutest little look on her face when she's excited. And… when she's sad or really tired or asleep, she… 'Shy, when she's awake and buzzing about and excitable, ya kinda miss how small and… vulnerable-looking she really is. And her wings aren't yet big enough for her to be able to reach them to preen them properly, so I have to do it for her. I don't mind that, though; it relaxes her _and_ me."

"Where does she sleep?" Fluttershy asked. "Did you clear out the guest room, or…"

"Nah, she sleeps in my room with me. I made this little donut-shaped pillow-circle thing on the floor next to me bed for her."

Fluttershy's eyes widened almost imperceptibly as she recognized something in what Dash described, but she kept quiet.

"For the first few nights, I'd sleep in my bed and she'd sleep in the pillows-and-blankets thing. But… she couldn't really sleep like that. That first night, I was laying awake thinking about stuff, and she started whimpering and reaching around in her sleep. I… I don't really know why I did it, but I reached down and picked her up, brought her into my bed with me. She curled up next to me and went right to sleep. The same thing happened the next two nights. After that, I took her little pillow-structure thing, moved it atop my bed, made it bigger, and now we both sleep curled up in that. She… She tends to sleep best when I drape a wing over her in addition to letting her cozy up next to me."

Fluttershy was listening with rapt attention, her mind working at a high pace as the (adorable) mental images played through her mind.

"Poor Scoot has been alone for quite a while" Dash continued. "I guess, after the crappy growing-up she's had, having someone to snuggle up with at night is a welcome change. And… something new happened last night…"

"What happened?" Fluttershy whispered, too enamored by the story to speak up.

"I got up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, and to get a little snack for myself. But when I was finishing up my snack, I heard little noises coming from my room; I'd left the door open a bit, y'see. Scoots must've woken up or something, but not quite all the way so she couldn't really think straight, and when she noticed I wasn't there, she… didn't know what to do, I guess. From what I can tell, she was half-asleep enough that she couldn't get out of bed and come look for me, and she started panicking. I was clear over in the kitchen, so I could just barely make out some of the… louder whimpers that came after the others that I couldn't hear.

"And then, she… It was the strangest thing, 'Shy. She let out this… I don't know how to describe it. Some… chirps, or something. But something happened to me. The _second_ I heard her make those sounds, it felt like everything stopped. I was… _filled_ with this… this overpowering _need_ to get back to her – like, drop everything I was doing and get to her _immediately_. I took off, half-eaten sandwich be damned, and flew back to my room so fast that I almost disrupted the hardened clouds that make this place up. I didn't care about anything except getting to her as fast as possible; I don't know why, it just… happened. When I got there, the look on her face when she saw me was… Just seeing her there, looking for me all panicky and stuff, tugged at my heart. I rushed over, hopped up into the pillow-thing next to her, and she latched onto me. Once I was there, she started calming down pretty quickly, and she fell back asleep soon, with me following not long after.

"I… I don't know what came over me. That… desperate feeling the sounds filled me with… or why, even though I know she couldn't get hurt or anything, seeing her there safe after I rushed to check on her made me feel so relieved. The idea of her being scared or hurt… scares me…"

Fluttershy was truly amazed, knowing full well what had happened but deeply surprised that it had taken place between the two. It was fairly widely-known that pegasi possessed a few avian qualities in terms of body language and instinct/psychology. There was a particular instinctual behavior that wasn't that well-known, though, not even amongst pegasi: pegasi possessed the same 'singing' instinct as birds. It rarely popped up in modern life, really; once in a great while, you'd find a pegasus who had an instinctual 'mating call', often without consciously realizing they had it. But far more ubiquitous was the distress-call instinct found in pegasus foals. They would instinctively make it when sufficiently distressed, scared, or in perceived danger; being alone and separated from a parent, with no knowledge of said parent's whereabouts and status, or being attacked by a predator or other perceived threat, was usually what it took to trigger it. The call carried much farther than normal vocalizations, and an adolescent or adult pegasus' brain was instinctually tuned to pick it up at even the lightest volume. It triggered an immediate and _very_ powerful instinct in the parent, which acted exactly as Rainbow Dash had described: 'your child is in distress/danger; get to and help your child _**now**_'. Furthermore, there was a bit of magic involved, so that even if a parent-figure had never heard the child's call before, the first time they would automatically know it was theirs, with the resulting reaction thus taking place. Every adult pegasus instinctively knew it was the sound of a child in distress, but only the parents or grandparents felt the all-consuming full strength of the instinct, the absolute _need_ to get to the child.

Fluttershy put two and two together fairly quickly. Consciously, Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo's relationship was like mentor & student, or like sisters. But unconsciously, instinctively, it was much more. The yellow pegasus' expression changed to a warm, near-overjoyed smile.

"It means that you two are even more important to each other than you realize" she replied, laying a hoof on Dash's shoulder.

"I guess so…" Dash trailed off with a smile. She shook her head to change her thoughts. "So, how's our little surprise for Trixie coming?"

"They should be here later this afternoon" Fluttershy replied. "Oh, I do hope it goes well."

"It'll be fine, 'Shy. I'm sure she'll be happy."

"Um… where's your hairbrush? There's a knot in my tail."

"In my room, on the nightstand."

"Thanks."

As Fluttershy fluttered up the stairs and opened the door of Dash's room, she took a look at the bed. She let out a cute little happy-gasp as her suspicion was confirmed. It was another bit of avian behavior inherent in pegasi, an instinct. From what Rainbow Dash had said, the prismatic pegasus was not consciously aware she had done it, but to Fluttershy the "donut-like" shape of the pillow-&-blanket construct was unmistakable.

It was a nest.

Fluttershy quietly squeed at the implications and at the heart-melting mental image. Then she remembered herself and grabbed the brush.

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Flutter Field**

**Same Day – 6:45 PM**

Trixie let out a sigh as she lounged on the picnic blanket after finishing her dinner, looking up at the orange-tinted sky as the Sun continued to set. The others had planned on having a picnic dinner (which was odd, she thought; weren't picnics usually a lunch thing?) and had insisted that she join them.

Now, as Trixie sat there lost in thought, Twilight caught sight of four certain ponies approaching through the field. She made eye contact with the leader, and then signaled to the other five Element-Bearers near her, who nodded. "Trixie," she said, "we've got to take care of something real quick. Could you watch the blanket and stuff for a few minutes?"

"Huh?" Trixie came out of her zoned-out state. "S-Sure. Go ahead."

As the six left the area (apparently; actually they took position hiding in a nearby bush, to watch what was about to happen), the blanket's sole occupant let out a sigh and looked up at the sky. "I still wonder if I deserve all this" she muttered.

"Trixie? H-Honey, is that you?"

The young mare's ears perked up. 'That voice…' she thought. 'It's so familiar…'

Trixie turned around, and felt her breath catch in her throat. The middle-aged unicorn mare standing there, staring at her with wide purple eyes, had an off-white coat, powder-blue mane and tail, and a shooting star for a Cutie Mark. It had been 11 years since they'd last seen each other, but they recognized each other instantly. Trixie felt tears coming to her eyes.

"M…" she squeaked. "Mommy?"

"It _is_ you…" Morrigan said. "…Oh, my baby girl… I finally found you…"

Mother and daughter slowly walked toward each other, and then embraced, holding each other for dear life as they both started crying.

"I'm sorry…" Morrigan whispered. "I'm so sorry, sweetie. I didn't notice that you were unhappy until it was too late. I never meant to hurt you or get confused, and every time I think about the stress I was under at the time and what it did to me… what it made me do to you girls… to _you_… I can't forgive myself… I failed you as a mother, Trixie… But starting right here and now, I will make it all up to you. I swear on my name that I will…"

"I…" Trixie whimpered. "I was wrong, mama. I was stupid to think I was special… that I could make anything of myself… I s-should've just stayed home and merged into the background like I was s'posed to… made up a part of a three-pony pony with my sisters; they were already pretty much one pony in thought and mind, and I guess I was wrong not to be part of the collective. I… I just wanted to stand out, to be special, but I'm not! I never was! I'm sorry I didn't realize that!"

Morrigan's hug tightened. "Don't you _dare_ say that kind of stuff, sweetie. I have never felt that way about you, and neither should you. You _are_ special and unique, and I am so, so sorry that I didn't make sure you knew that. And for your information, Nixie and Pixie grew up to be quite different from each other and from you."

Trixie sniffled. "I'll believe that when I see it" she said.

Morrigan let out a little giggle. "Look behind me" she replied.

Trixie pulled her face out from her mother's shoulder, and gasped as she saw the three other ponies approaching. Two of them bore a startling resemblance to Trixie in body shape, color, and facial features, but one of them had a teddy-bear for a Cutie Mark and had her mane cropped short with the bottom spiked, and the other had a pair of ice skates for a Mark and her mane was in a single braid. The third was a stallion with deep-blue fur, a slightly-wispy mane & tail, and a stethoscope for a Mark.

Nixie, Pixie, and Cirrus – her sisters and brother.

"W… W-What're you all… How did…" Trixie couldn't believe her eyes.

"Word got around that you were alive and had settled down in Ponyville" Cirrus said with a calm smile. "I'm said that you've suffered so much… but I'm happy that you're still alive, sis."

"We understand why you left, Trixie" Pixie said.

"When we realized that it was our fault that you left…" Nixie continued.

"…that you felt like you weren't special…"

"…that you weren't your own individual…"

"…all because we three looked and sounded so alike…

"…and were always trying to do things together…"

"…we felt horrible…"

"We, mom, and big bro tried everything to find you…"

"…but we never could…"

"We always wanted to apologize…"

"…to do whatever it took to make it up to you…"

"We found our own Special Talents that turned out to be different from each other…"

"…and changed up our looks to make it harder for ponies to get us mixed up…"

"…though we've never quite managed to break the habit of…"

"…finishing each other's sentences…"

"We're so sorry, Trixie" they finished together.

Trixie honestly didn't know what to say. But the look in her eyes spoke volumes. Her siblings accepted her unspoken invitation and moved closer, joining the hug.

They stayed like that for what felt like forever, a family rejoicing in finding their lost member. After a while, Morrigan pulled back a bit to get a good look at her prodigal daughter. Her heart ached at what she saw; the scar along her side, the artificial right eye, and the lack of a Cutie Mark spoke of but a small hint of how much torment, misfortune, and suffering her little girl had been through. And it was at least partly her fault for not noticing how distressed her second-youngest had been.

'No more' she thought. 'I've been given a second chance. I'm going to make sure Trixie knows how much I love her for her, as an individual. I'm going to pull her out of this pit she's in, show her that she _is_ special, help her get her Special Talent back, and give her the 11 years' worth of mother's love that she's missed out on, with interest. My baby girl… mama's gonna make things right, whatever it takes.'

As the six Element-Bearers watched from their hiding place as a family reunited, Twilight smiled at a job well done.

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Canterlot - Racetrack**

**Next Day – 4:05 PM**

"And Soarin' wins by a foot!" the announcer called out over the loudspeakers. "Ladies and gentlemen, we have our winner for this season's quarterly Wonderbolts Derby!"

Cheers rose through the crowd. In the VIP section sat a group of considerable size: the six Element-Bearers, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Trixie and her family, and Gamma & Theta Teams. The Wonderbolts Derby happened four times a year, and the gang had decided that it would be a nice little outing to come see this one. The kids loved it, especially Scootaloo, whose cheers were only surpassed in enthusiasm by Rainbow Dash's.

"This is _so awesome_, Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo squealed excitedly. "Thank you so, _so_ much for bringing me here!"

Dash chuckled. "It ain't over yet, Scoot. I saved a surprise for last. Should be starting any minute now…"

"Ladies and gentlemen," the announcer said, "we have a very special treat for you today! Soarin', our winner for the Wonderbolts Derby, will be having a special exhibitionary race against the winner of this year's Best Young Flyers competition!"

As the crowd cheered, Scootaloo looked up at Dash with eyes as wide as can be, and Dash grinned back at her as she spread her wings and prepared to take off.

"Rainbow Dash, come on down!"

The sky-blue pegasus took to the air, flying over the crowds and down toward the racetrack, the crowd cheering for her. She pulled a few loop-de-loops and rolls as she approached the starting point. She settled in next to Soarin'.

"You ready for this, 'Best Young Flyer'?" he asked.

"You bet! I've got an 8-year-old friend in the VIP seats; this is her first time here. So let's make this the coolest thing she's ever seen!"

He laughed. "I'm all for that!"

After several seconds, the starting pistol went off, and the race was on. The two raced through the laps, over and around obstacles, constantly jockeying for position. It was neck and neck, neither of them having any clear advantage. After about 10 minutes, the race neared its end. Dash pulled ahead of Soarin', but then noticed that a pillar of cloud – an obstacle – was right in her path. She abruptly threw herself to the left to go around it.

This was likely what saved her life.

Out of nowhere, a bright green burst of raw destructive magic came flying out at great speed. It grazed Dash's right side, blasting a wound in her side with a flash of blood and also damaging her wing. Immediately she began tumbling through the air, out of control. Many in the audience screamed in shock and horror, with Fluttershy's and Pinkie's being among the loudest; Scootaloo, in contrast, was too horrified to scream, sitting there deathly pale, heart in her throat, trying to scream but no sound came out.

Two individuals, however, flew into action immediately. An orange and yellow blur shot out into the arena, Spitfire flying out and catching Rainbow Dash, halting her uncontrolled descent and saving her from crashing into the stands. Teana, meanwhile, had been using her Sharingan to monitor the race, so as to better see who was winning at close moments, and thus she was able to track and remember where the blast had come from. She made a series of flash-step jumps over to that area of the stands, running inside the passageway that led to an exit. There, she saw a ragged-looking unicorn stallion. Upon seeing her, he hissed, his eyes glowing green as he fired several green blasts at her. She dodged, moving in close, and when she was close enough she shifted to her human form and delivered a Spartan-strength punch that sent him careening into a wall, slumping down. A flash of green light went over him, revealing a pony-shaped insectoid being.

She remembered reading the Royal Canterlot Archives' book on Equestria's dangerous life-forms, and recognized what she saw: a Changeling. Celestia would need to be notified of this would-be assassin as soon as possible.

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Canterlot Hospital**

**Same Day – Two Hours Later**

Rainbow Dash groaned as wakefulness came back to her. The doctors had, at her request, cast a Sleep spell on her while they worked on her injuries. She looked down at her right side, which had a sizeable bandage on it; her right wing was also bandaged and held in place. The door opened, one of the doctors peeking in to check on her, and he smiled when he saw her awake.

"How bad is it, Doc?" she asked him. "And what hit me, anyway?"

"You were injured by a blast of destructive magic, Miss Dash" the doctor replied. "Apparently, someone tried to assassinate you due to your nature as one of the Elements of Harmony. You're fortunate that you moved to dodge a cloud pillar at just the right moment; had the attack struck you directly, you would have been killed. As it was, it only grazed you, but that was still enough to leave a good-sized wound on your side and a small fracture in two of your wing's bones. Not to worry; pegasus wings heal very quickly, so you'll be back in the sky in about five days."

"Who tried to kill me?"

"Apparently it was something called a Changeling, some kind of shape-shifting creature that is equal parts insect and equine. They live in hive clusters, serving brood-mothers who in turn serve their race's queen. Princess Celestia claims that the Changelings haven't been heard from in nearly 200 years; why they wanted to kill an Element-Bearer, she has no idea. She thinks they must be planning something, though, and that the Harmony Elements may be a serious enough threat to whatever their plan is to warrant assassination. To that end, security is being tightened in the capital and other major cities, as well as around Ponyville; unicorn soldiers skilled with the True Sight spell will be using it to inspect anypony who is going to be anywhere near you girls. Furthermore, teams are being sent out into the wilds and badlands to try and find the Changelings, maybe see what they're up to."

"…Where are my friends?"

"Ah, they're in the waiting room. I'll go and let them know you're up. If you'll excuse me…"

He left, and it was less than a minute before Rainbow heard little hooves galloping down the hall for her room. A little orange blur shot into the room, leaping into the air, and the next thing Dash knew, Scootaloo was clinging onto her like a limpet, trying her hardest not to cry and failing. Dash smiled and held her.

"I'm okay, Scoot" she said. "I'm alright."

"I w-was so scared" the filly whimpered. "So scared that I'd lost you; that I'd be on my own again…"

"I'm not going anywhere any time soon, kiddo. I'm gonna be okay."

The door opened again, and a larger blur of pink shot into the room. Dash found herself in a crushing embrace as Pinkie Pie hugged her like the world was gonna end.

"Pinkie!" Dash squeaked out, forearms wiggling, "Too tight! Still hurt! Hard to breathe!"

Taking the hint, Pinkie eased up on her Crushing Hug of Love/Doom, though she didn't let go. She stayed like that, just holding onto Rainbow, even as the rest of the Mane Group came in. They spent the next 15 minutes fussing over Dash, despite her repeated protests that she was fine.

"You were lucky, Rainbow" Twilight said. "A direct hit from that attack would've blown your torso open."

"I still can't believe this sorta thing happened" Applejack said. "And right in Canterlot! The capital! Ain't security around here s'posed to be the tightest anywhere?"

"Well, I doubt the guards for a sporting event were prepared for shape-shifters," Rarity replied, "especially ones who haven't been seen for two centuries."

"So when am I gonna be discharged?" Dash asked. "Does anyone know?"

"They're going to let us take you home this evening" Fluttershy replied. "We'll need to look after you until your wounds are healed, though, like we did with Trixie."

"Though at least _your_ wounds aren't nearly as bad as mine were" Trixie added, absent-mindedly running a hoof over the large scar that ran along her side, mostly hidden by her fur.

"Yeah… Um, can one of you go get me something from a fast-food joint, or somethin' like that? I'd really rather not be subjected to hospital food."

The girls shared a laugh at that. Pinkie handed Dash a cupcake with a tiny little "Get Well Soon" pick on it; no-one dared question where in the hell she'd gotten it from, choosing to rationalize it as "It's Pinkie Pie; just roll with it".

**-**_**CHAPTER END**_**-**

Next Chapter: Xehanort's got a new disciple…


	17. Struggle

Again, apologies for the wait; distractions and writer's block

**PLEASE SEE CHAPTER ONE FOR MOST DISCLAIMERS**

PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE & CHARACTER PAGES

**-**_**CHAPTER START**_**-**

**Ponyville**

**Three Days After End of Last Chapter – 3:00 PM**

Things had all fallen into another stretch of between-crises peace and quiet. The coalition was cooperating with Equestrian personnel to perform a rough census and determine an accurate planet-wide population size, while medical specialists were cataloguing loads of data from various local medical records to construct a detailed profile of Equestrian physiology. The three Project Corona-owned VTOL dropships were determined to be of Koprulu-Terran origin, the serial numbers matching a few long-missing units from the Kel-Morian Combine. The TSAB were already going over Equestria's magic styles/systems, cataloguing them.

Small patrols frequently went out around Ponyville's outer edges, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious. Right now, two figures were patrolling through an area of rocks and grasses near Ghastly Gorge: a purple-furred earth pony mare, and a little teal-furred unicorn filly in a skirt. Erika kept a sharp eye out for anything suspicious, while also instinctively sticking close to Golden Tiara as she too scanned the landscape. So far, their patrol today had been peaceful, and they talked about various little things.

As they walked among a cluster of rock spires, however, they became aware of something nearby – subtle whispers of wind and footsteps, motion out of the corners of their eyes, a feeling of being watched. They looked to each and nodded, and then Erika shifted to her natural form and summoned her Keyblade and Armor, while Golden Tiara summoned her Project Corona armor. On high alert, they readied their respective energies.

In a sudden burst of motion and a flash of green, GT spun around and biotically grabbed hold of a Soldier-type Heartless in mid-leap, and then threw it into a rock pillar, killing it. Seconds later, a Strike Raid from Erika nailed a Neoshadow trying to leap from one stone spire to another.

"Impressive instincts, both of you" a woman's voice said.

They turned, and caught sight of a lone hooded figure, the body shape identifying her as a pony and the bulge in the hood identifying her as a unicorn. A black glow came from her horn, and her cloak was telekinetically tossed aside. Golden Tiara growled as she recognized the mare.

"Checker…" she snarled. "I thought we ran you out of town."

The once-red heart in Checker's Cutie Mark was now black, and when she opened her eyes the irises were revealed to have turned gold, as she gave a calm smirk. "You did" she replied. "I've acquired a new source of power now, as payment for accepting a new superior, one of great wisdom and power who was quite willing to provide me with several perks in exchange for my loyalty. Now, then… You two have been deemed significant threats. If I kill you now, I'm sure that Master Xehanort shall be quite pleased."

GT glowed green with Biotic power, while Erika's grip on the Stroke of Midnight tightened. "You pledged yourself to the Seeker of Darkness?" the young Keyblade-Wielder asked.

"I did" Checker replied. "And the perks were worth it – a significant boost in power from the Darkness, an army of capable servants," she flashed her horn's magic, and a pack of Neoshadows formed around her, "and the chance to get revenge on _you_, 'Agent Gamma'. Now… it's time to have some _fun_…"

The Neoshadows charged, and GT unleashed a Biotic Pulse that knocked a few of them off their feet, stunning them. Erika beheaded two more of the bipedal Heartless with a single swing of her Keyblade, and lashed out with a kick to the chest of a third. Then Checker was upon them, lashing out with hooves crackling with black Lightning-type magic. Erika blocked a strike with her weapon, and then countered with a quick slicing swing of it that Checker back-flipped away from. Golden hit a Neoshadow with a Biotic Throw that launched it at Checker, who simply blasted it before it could hit her.

Checker fired a wave of small Darkness-type magic bolts, and Erika blocked with a Reflect spell. Checker teleported behind Erika before she could react, striking with a crushing blow, only for Golden Tiara to Biotically yank Erika out of the way, saving her. GT then blasted Checker with a close-range Biotic Shockwave that sent her flying backward, managing to land on her hooves. Erika fired a Blizzara spell at her, but Checker cast a Dark Barrier that blocked the attack. Checker then rushed in at GT, engaging her in a close-up brawl, using her new skills to keep up with the Spec-Ops veteran. Strikes were blocked, dodged, or slapped aside, neither one of the two gaining an advantage.

"Gamma, look out!"

Erika's warning gave Golden the time to leap away from Checker… dodging by less than a foot the downward punch from The Meta that shattered the ground where she'd been standing an instant earlier. The white-armored, Darkness-corrupted human super-soldier snarled as he lashed out with a kick that impacted a hastily-formed Biotic Barrier, knocking her back a few meters. Erika fired a Prism Rain attack at the two, only for The Meta to activate his dome-shield projector, protecting him and Checker from the multi-colored barrage.

"Well, this fight just got harder" Erika remarked.

"Do you two honestly think you stance a chance against the both of us?" Checker Monarch said with a smirk, as The Meta cracked his knuckles. "The Darkness that he and I have submerged ourselves in gives us power beyond compare."

"You overestimate yourself" Golden replied. "What a cliché villain thing to do. You've got some new tricks and a power boost, but that doesn't make you unbeatable."

"I may not be omnipotent, but I'm more than powerful enough to take down some small-town mud-walker, regardless of that otherworldly substance infused within your body. And I doubt a prepubescent Keyblader who's had her weapon for only a couple months will make much difference, especially with this fellow here helping me."

"If you think you can beat us that easily," Golden said, her eyes glowing green, "then you're in for a nasty surprise."

"We'll see…" Checker replied, dark magic enveloping her horn. The Meta gave a quiet growl, while Erika channeled mana through her Keyblade.

For several seconds, the four were still and quiet, staring each other down. Then, all of them moved at once. A Dark Barrier shield-spell from Checker blocked Golden's Warp attack from hitting The Meta, while at the same time Erika's Keyblade batted away a grenade that The Meta fast-balled at Golden, sending it flying off to explode against a rock pillar. Erika then went on the attack, and The Meta used his armor's new reinforced forearm guards to block and parry her Keyblade strikes, slowly being pushed back by the little girl's surprisingly ferocious assault. Checker and Golden got into a close-range duel, dodging and blocking physical attacks empowered by Biotics and dark magic. After a short while of this, they lashed out with a Darkness-enhanced telekinetic strike and a Biotic Throw, launching each other backward and away.

Erika landed a blow that sent The Meta tumbling backward, but he regained control and hand-sprung into a landing on his feet. He then pulled out an M6C pistol and started firing, and Erika blocked some of the bullets with her Keyblade and cast Reflera to stop the others. She dropped her barrier and rushed him, letting her armor's personal energy shields take the last three shots in his pistol's clip, and landed a short combo of blows that staggered The Meta. She went for a follow-up strike, only for a telekinetic pulse from Checker to knock her away. Checker then conjured several long, thin metal spikes, like javelins, and launched them at Erika, but Golden Tiara moved in with a Barrier to protect her. She then compressed and launched the Barrier as a focused wave of Biotic force, hammering Checker and The Meta.

Checker and The Meta fell back, and Golden & Erika pursued, beginning a running battle, the two pairs exchanging fire as they moved. Before long, they reached Ghastly Gorge, battling not far from the massive chasm in the earth. The Meta rolled under a Strike Raid from Erika and charged her, bringing his fist down with bone-crushing force. Even with her Keyblade Armor, and her chakra channeled through and into her arm, it still hurt to block his punch. She attacked with a sweeping low kick, but he jumped back to avoid it… and got nailed in the back by her returning Keyblade. He snarled and shrugged off the pain, pressing his attack again.

The fight moved to the edge of the cliff. Bolts of dark magic shattered stone, Biotically-thrown boulders and Keyblade-fired magic blasts flew through the air, and up-close blows were exchanged. Checker leapt high to avoid a Strike Raid from Erika, and she then charged and fired an explosive burst of Darkness and Lightning magic down at Golden, who countered by firing a Warp blast up at her. The two high-velocity spheres of volatile energy met halfway, struggling against each other, before flying off wildly, shooting in an arc over the edge of the nearby cliff and then curving back around and up. The energy mixture impacted the cliff face and exploded violently, and a few seconds later the already-unstable rock began to give way.

A rockslide of huge hunks of stone began to fall down the gorge. The four combatants couldn't get out of the way in time, so they were made to ride the rocks down, continuing their fight even as they fell. Erika threw her Keyblade at The Meta, who dodged and launched himself off a boulder, flying toward her with fist ready, only for Erika to home in on and teleport herself to her Keyblade, avoiding the attack, and then fire a Firaga spell at him, which he avoided by swinging himself around the hunk of rock he was presently riding, letting the fireball impact it instead. Golden hit a hunk of stone twice as big as herself with a Biotic punch that sent it hurtling toward Checker, who simply blasted it into pebbles and dust with a concentrated explosive Darkness blast. Checker then leapt from rock to rock, reaching the canyon floor before anyone else, having calculated where the remaining rocks would fall and now taken position where she wouldn't be beneath any of them. She charged raw Dark power into her forehoof, bringing it back and ready to strike. Golden Tiara launched herself downward at her, her hoof wreathed in Biotic energy, her eyes glowing green with power. The two struck at each other at the same time, their blows meeting and letting out a shockwave that blew away everything around them.

The rocks came crashing down all along the canyon floor, but the combatants paid little heed to that as they kept fighting each other. Checker fired a bolt of black Lightning magic at Golden, but Erika moved in and blocked it with her weapon. The Meta tried to rush Erika from the side, only to be blasted away by a Biotic Throw from Golden. Erika fired a Blizzara spell at Checker and then charged her, unleashing a flurry of blows that the dark mare was hard-pressed to dodge or block, while Golden went after The Meta, hammering him with Biotic blows that he muscled through as he tried to crush her with his super-powerful punches and kicks.

Erika soon landed a high-power horizontal strike that sent Checker flying back. The fallen unicorn snarled and readied an attack spell, only to have to cancel it and dodge to avoid being flattened by The Meta, who had been launched back by a Biotic Throw from Golden. The two quickly got back up on their feet, bodies surging with dark power.

"Okay, that's enough!" a voice called. "Playtime's up for the day, kids!"

The four looked up at a rock ledge sticking out of the cliff face about 30 feet off the ground, spotting a man in a black cloak lounging on it, his gray-streaked black hair flying in the wind and partially covering his eyepatch, and a cocky grin on his heavily-scarred face.

"It's nice you two are havin' fun," Braig/Xigbar said, "but the Boss-Man wants the both of ya to help take on a bigger target ASAP."

"And what makes you think I would throw out this chance to get revenge on the bitch who humiliated me in front of those commoners?" Checker growled at him.

"Hey, easy" Xigbar put his hands up in a defensive gesture. "I'm just relaying the orders. Besides… wouldn't you rather beat her in front of a crowd, instead of out here in the middle of nowhere with, like, only four witnesses?"

"Hmm…" Checker stroked her chin in thought. "That's a good point." She turned to The Meta. "What do you think?"

The ex-Freelancer just shrugged his shoulders.

"…Alright, alright" Checker finally said. "Let's go, already."

"Wait" Erika cut in. "Just like that? You're leaving?"

"Yep!" Xigbar said. "…Damn, and I thought Sora was young for a Keyblade-Wielder."

He leapt down, landing between Checker and The Meta. He then snapped his fingers, and a Dark Gateway formed behind them. The trio fell back, stepping through the gateway, which then closed.

"We'd better go let the others know that Checker's working for Xehanort now" Golden said, as she and Erika began their trek home.

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Same Day – 6:40 PM**

Rainbow Dash let out a sigh as she strolled through town. She looked at the bandages on her wing; the doctors had said to wait at least two more days before attempting to fly again. Unable to get to her cloud-house, she'd been sleeping at Pinkie's or Fluttershy's the past few days. At least Scootaloo was okay with it; the Cakes adored her, while Fluttershy was very happy for the chance to mother the little foal.

As Dash walked along, she caught sight of something that struck her as odd: Fluttershy, fluttering through the air toward her at a fairly high rate of speed, an excited look on her face.

"Rainbow!" she shouted as she hovered in front of Dash. "You've gotta come see! Oh, it's a miracle! Come to my house, quick!"

"Calm down, Flutters. What's going on?"

"Just come on, Dash! I won't spoil the surprise for you; follow me to my place!"

Confused, Rainbow tailed Fluttershy as they both returned to her cottage. She was surprised, to say the least, to see a Royal Air-Force pony standing outside, a white-furred pegasus mare who was wearing light scout/recon armor that covered her upper chest and back, her black mane unhidden by a helmet.

"Good evening, Miss Dash" she nodded respectfully.

"What brings you here, ma'am?" Dash asked. "Am I or Fluttershy in trouble?"

"Not at all" the military pony replied with a smile. "After the Changeling Assassin's botched attempt to kill you, special-ops teams have been scouring the wilds in the country, looking for any other signs of Changeling activity. While we haven't found anything related to them yet, we did find something – or rather, some_one_ – whilst inspecting the Eastern Badlands. Apparently, this mare was part of a team trying to maintain Hurricane Epona about a decade ago. She was unfortunately sucked up by the hurricane, carried inland with it, and then carried by loose winds and momentum when Princess Celestia finally stepped in to personally destabilize it.

"She was flung out into the Badlands, losing a wing in the process and landing in the middle of nowhere. Supposedly, she's spent the last 12 or 13 years living alone in a small cave, subsisting on bugs, hardy plants, lizards, and an underground spring. By strength of will, she maintained her sanity and didn't 'go feral' during all this time. My team and I found her yesterday morning when we discovered her cave and checked it out for Changeling presence. We brought her back to civilization, got her checked out, and now she's here."

"Who is she? And why is she here at Fluttershy's? Is she someone 'Shy used to know?"

"Why don't you go in and see for yourself? …You should know, Miss Dash, that 'MIA – Presumed Dead' and 'KIA' are not the same thing…"

Confused by this statement, Rainbow opened the front door and walked in, heading to the living room… and she froze, her breath caught in her throat, as she looked at who was sitting curled up on the couch. She was a pegasus, looked a little thin, and her right wing was missing. Her fur was a pale pink, and her mane & tail were blue. Her Cutie Mark was of three blue lightning bolts, and her eyes were the same shade of pinkish red as Dash's. When she looked at Dash, her eyes lit up with recognition and joy.

"Rainbow?" she asked.

"…Mama?" Dash choked out.

"You've gotten so big" Firefly said, tearing up. "You're all grown up now, and I missed it. I… I've missed you so much, baby girl…"

The fact that her wing was still busted was the only thing that kept Dash from zooming through the air into her mother's arms. That being said, she ran to her as fast as she could, embracing her and bursting into tears. Mother and daughter both cried with joy and held each other like the world was ending, reunited after over a decade of separation.

"This isn't a dream…" Dash whimpered. "It's real! You're really real!"

"Yes, sweetie" Firefly whispered. "I'm real. And I'm back."

Off to the side, Fluttershy and the RAF pony stood with smiles on their faces, the former quietly happy-crying at the heartwarming reunion.

"The others will hardly be able to believe this" Fluttershy spoke softly as she rubbed at her eyes.

"Let's wait a bit before telling them, yeah?" the pegasus soldier replied. "Give these two some time to themselves – time to catch up."

-_Mini-Break_-

**Two Hours Later**

Rainbow had spent the last hour and a half telling her mother all about her life up to now – meeting Fluttershy, earning her Cutie Mark, moving to Ponyville, meeting Twilight and the others, beating Nightmare Moon, and everything else that had followed, including the dimensional coalition. She had finished by describing the situation with Scootaloo, and her not-fully-understood connection with the kid; Firefly, however, smiled as, hearing Rainbow's descriptions of her & Scootaloo's interactions, she quickly recognized the powerful maternal feelings her daughter had for the lost little foal.

The front door opened, and Fluttershy walked in… along with the rest of the Mane Six, Spike, Trixie, the Crusaders, and Teana & Shion. They were soon curious of who this new mare was, why she and Dash were sitting so close together with her remaining wing draped over Dash's back, and why Dash looked like she'd been crying but was also smiling.

"Who is this, Rainbow?" Twilight asked.

"Guys…" Dash said. "Remember how I told you about my mom? How she went missing after Hurricane Epona – 'MIA, Presumed Dead'? …They presumed wrong."

Expressions of shock were the response, along with a deliberately over-dramatic gasp from Pinkie.

"Well" Rarity said, breaking the silence. "This is… certainly not what I was expecting when Fluttershy invited us over."

"Rainbow just got through telling me about some of her 'adventures' with you girls" Firefly said. "You've been such good friends for her; I thank you for that."

"It was our pleasure" Pinkie replied.

"Now, why don't you all have a seat and tell me a little about yourselves?"

And so they mingled for a while, each of them introducing themselves to Firefly and giving her some basic info, as well as telling a few stories involving them and Dash. At some point, Scootaloo gradually made her way close to Dash and Firefly, lying at the foot of the couch that they were sitting on. She then squeaked in surprise as Rainbow picked her up and placed her between her and Firefly. Despite her embarrassment, Scootaloo found herself automatically leaning into Dash's side, and Dash carefully draped her bandaged wing over Scootaloo's body. Firefly giggled and gave the filly a quick nuzzle, causing her to blush and grumble, though she really didn't mind too much.

"Ma'am?" Teana said to Firefly. "I just got off the comm. with the Colonel. We can get you scanned and measured later today, so we can start constructing a synthetic wing for you."

"…R-Really?" Firefly's expression became one of amazement. "You can do that? You can… You can get me a working new wing?"

"Yes" Shion replied. "The coalition's artificial limb technology is very advanced, and becoming more so over time."

"A-And… I'll be able to fly again, after over a decade ground-bound?"

"Yep! Just show up at the little coalition base just outside of town tomorrow morning at 10:30, and we'll bring you up to the ship."

"Oh, definitely! I'll definitely be there!"

The day wore on, and eventually everyone else departed for their homes. Firefly, Rainbow, and Scootaloo were invited by Fluttershy to stay at her place for night due to their present flightlessness. That night, Dash slept curled up next to her mother, under her wing, with Scootaloo taking the same position beside Dash.

**-**_**CHAPTER END**_**-**

Next Chapter: An old threat, thought vanquished, emerges.


	18. Bad Dream

We're on the home stretch; just a couple more chapters left for this Book.

**PLEASE SEE CHAPTER ONE FOR MOST DISCLAIMERS**

PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE & CHARACTER PAGES

**-**_**CHAPTER START**_**-**

**Outside Ponyville – 7:15 PM**

**Two Days After Previous Chapter**

It started with Shion and Ahsoka; they had been on sunset patrol near the Everfree Forest when they both sensed a strange but powerful darkness within the forest, slowly making its way out. They took position just outside the forest, waiting, and as whatever-it-was got closer to the forest edge, they sensed that it was larger and more malignant than initially assumed. In response, they contacted the others, requesting assistance. So it was that they were joined by the rest of Gamma Team, as well as the six Element-Bearers, Trixie, and Spike. Everyone nervously awaited whatever was coming out, eyes fixed on the tree-line and searching for anything out of the ordinary.

Finally, something emerged: a shadowy tendril of black and dark-purple energy, about the size of a pony.

"…That's it?" Rainbow Dash said. "Laaaame! I was expecting something big and mind-bendingly terrifying!"

And then the dark miasma began to pour out from several spots, coalescing into a rapidly-growing mass that was already the size of five ponies put together and growing by the second.

"You were sayin', RD?" Applejack deadpanned.

The mass of darkness ceased growing when it was around the size of a small house. Then, it began to slowly take form, changing from an amorphous mass to a quadrupedal shape. Twilight, meanwhile, finally remembered where she'd felt this energy signature before.

"Oh no…" she murmured. "Girls! I recognize this thing's energy! We've fought it before!"

"Uh, I think we would've remembered fighting something like this" Dash said.

"It was part of something else" Twilight replied. "This thing… It has the same energy signature as Nightmare Moon!"

Everyone gasped.

"But how can that be?" Applejack said. "We blasted her with the Elements of Harmony! We purified Princess Luna already!"

"The darkness must've been cast out, exorcised, rather than destroyed" Twilight replied. "Now it's back… and I think it's angry."

The darkness took the shape of a 10-foot-tall alicorn, a featureless figure of shifting dark-purple and black, with glowing red eyes. The thing's eyes pulsed, and a dimension-shift barrier rapidly expanded outward, encompassing everything within 200 meters, including the group.

"Damn it!" Teana shouted. "We've been Shifted! Alright, girls! Change form and get ready! This thing wants a fight, and it's gonna be a big one!"

The girls of Gamma assumed their real forms, readying weapons and energies. Trixie, still magic-less, used her recent training from the off-worlders and channeled her chakra; it wasn't much yet, since she was still new to it, but she would not just stand by and watch helplessly for this. The Element-Bearers readied themselves as well, while Spike tried to look brave.

The Nightmare made the first move, firing a burst of Darkness at Twilight. Teana intercepted, casting a bright orange Shield spell that blocked the attack; she then countered, weaving hand-seals and launching a _Katon: Gōkakyū_ at the evil specter. The fireball crashed against the semi-solid dark entity, only for the being to shrug off the hit, looking none the worse for wear. Then, it fired a wide burst of dark bolts.

"Scatter!" Teana ordered.

Everyone moved, narrowly avoiding the barrage. Marie brought Charon up in Light Beam configuration and fired a few shots. The Nightmare was struck by the shots dead-on, and though they didn't seem to hurt it they did catch its attention. A growl seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere, and the dark being fired a man-sized blast of dark fire at Marie. Charon reacted quickly, auto-casting a Flash Move to relocate Marie out of the blast's path and to safety. Twilight fired several bolts of magic at the Nightmare, only for them to break against it harmlessly, not even leaving a scorch mark. Ahsoka's _Raijū Bashiri no Jutsu_ had the same (lack of) effect, doing little more than irritating the entity. Rainbow Dash tried tackling it, but it shifted into smoke and curled to the side, dodging the attack and then re-solidifying to fire a dark burst at her; Shion managed to pull her out of the way.

Rarity conjured several sharp stones, which were then laced with Lightning-type chakra from Trixie and then telekinetically 'fired' at Nightmare. The dark being brought its large ethereal wings forward, folding them in front of its head as a shield that blocked and withstood the barrage. It then flapped its wings forward, launching a wave of razor-sharp 'feathers' at Rarity and Trixie. Twilight quickly teleported her two fellow unicorns out of the way, then returned fire with a pair of Fire-Disks that 'shattered' against the Nightmare's wings, leaving naught but surface scorch-marks.

"Divine Buster!"

A large beam of red-orange magical energy crashed into Nightmare, pushing it back. When the blast faded, the dark entity let out an otherworldly hiss and focused its attention on Teana, who was hovering a few meters off the ground about 200 feet away. Deeming her a significant threat, it charged, flying through the air like a wraith. Teana fired a wave of Fire-type _Sagitta Magica_, but the Nightmare charged right through them, paying them little heed as it rushed toward her. She shot upwards into the air, the Nightmare in hot pursuit. It fired a blast of Darkness as powerful as her earlier Divine Buster up at her, and she narrowly avoided being struck by it. The dark entity continued to close in on her, ignoring the blasts of chakra and magic that she threw at it as they broke against it.

The two exchanged fire in the skies above everyone's heads, neither one landing any major blows on the other. Finally, the Nightmare pulled a feint, allowing it to slam into Teana with a devastating blow. She managed to cast a Shield spell at the last second, but the transfer of momentum still sent her hurtling down toward the ground at an angle. She halted her descent mere feet from impacting the ground… and then looked up and saw a rather large wave of Darkness energy racing toward her, with no time to evade. There was a flash of red from her eyes a split-second before it hit, the cloud of dust & smoke the blast kicked up obscuring Teana from the others' view.

After several seconds, a red-orange glow was visible from within the cloud. The dust was blown away by a gust of wind, revealing Teana to be within her Stage-1 _Susanō_… but something was different: her skeletal spectral defender looked ever-so-slightly bulkier, and more importantly it now had four arms instead of two. The group looked closer at Teana, and felt shock as they beheld her eyes, her _Mangekyō Sharingan_'s three concentric rings now surrounded by a black octagon… just like Tiida's had been in the 'flashback footage' of his fight against Pain.

"That bit from the footage on their last world…" Twilight said. "When Kakashi showed Teana a video will from her brother, and then the perspective cut away before we could see it… And the fact that the shinobi found and raided Madara's old base, which would've held the extracted eyes of all the dead Uchiha that Obito and Madara had raided the bodies of… including Tiida's…"

"She's had it this whole time since after the shinobi rejoined the coalition, since shortly before she even came to Equestria" Fluttershy continued. "She just hasn't had the chance to use it until now. Her brother's eyes… the Eternal _Mangekyō_…"

"So _this_ is what you've been hiding" Ahsoka said, a grin forming on her face. "You've been holding out on us, Boss."

Marie whistled not-so-innocently.

"…You knew?" Kaede asked.

"She asked me to keep it a secret," Marie replied, "to not spoil the surprise."

Teana glared up at the confused Nightmare with her hybrid eyes. She could feel that the chakra drain of _Susanō_ was significantly lessened from what it was before acquiring the EMS, and she knew from what Kakashi had told her that the same would be true of her other MS techniques. After a few seconds, she willed her _Susanō_ to advance to Stage 2. Now, its upper right hand held a shining sword, while its lower right arm bore the crossbow that her brother's guardian-entity had once wielded, a large chakra-arrow loaded and ready. She had the left arms bring the spike-edged shield they carried to bear, blocking another man-sized blast of dark fire from the Nightmare. Then, she pointed the chakra crossbow at the dark entity, and let an arrow fly.

The high-speed chakra projectile streaked up through the air, exploding upon impact with the Nightmare. The semi-corporeal beast roared in anger as the powerful energy-based attack caused it pain and harm. It then countered with a massive wave of Fire/Darkness bolts. Teana disengaged her _Susanō_ to allow easier movement, and then flew out of the way, casting _Tsukuyomi_. In its current host-less state, the Nightmare wasn't intelligent enough to be affected by the genjutsu's full effect, but it was enough to stun and badly disorient the entity, allowing Teana to zoom upward toward it, readying a single _Susanō _arm for a wicked punch. Upon reaching it, she flash-stepped behind it and punched it down.

The blow sent the Nightmare hurtling down into the ground, a plume of dust and dirt being kicked up by the hard landing. Teana descended, setting down around 20 meters from the 'landing' zone and staring into the settling dust. The Nightmare growled as it stood up, looking worse for wear, parts of its body wavering slightly as if trying to hold itself together. Teana simply smirked, and then formed all four _Susanō_ arms without forming the rest of the entity. She held her right hand out, and the four spectral hands began shaping and spinning chakra. Soon, a bell-like screech was audible as a familiar four-pointed spinning chakra construct formed.

"A _Rasenshuriken_?" Shion said. "But that's a melee attack for her, and for some reason I don't think the Nightmare will let her get close with that thing in her hand."

When the _Rasenshuriken_ was complete, the four spectral arms dissipated, and then Teana's right arm glowed with red magical energy. Twilight gasped as she recognized unicorn-style telekinesis; Teana had learned how to use it while in her human form? The energy enveloped the rotating chakra weapon, giving it a reddish outline. Then, Teana cocked her arm back, and threw. Propelled by her throw and 'held' by telekinetic magic, Teana's _Rasenshuriken_ could only be thrown about 35 meters before she lost her hold on it and it dissipated. But her target was 15 meters within that range.

The spinning disk of violent Wind-type chakra crossed the distance very quickly, leaving the surprised Nightmare no time to dodge before it hit. It was propelled backward a couple dozen feet as the attack began to grind into it, and then the technique 'detonated'. The Nightmare was promptly trapped in the center of a massive spinning dome of Wind chakra, billions of microscopic chakra-blades cutting into it. A powerful wind was kicked up by the dome of swirling bluish light as it gouged a deep hole in the ground, the whirring, 'roaring' sound of the technique filling the air.

When the technique finally wore off, the dome dissolved away to reveal a black and purple mist floating where the center had been. The mist converged, reforming into the Nightmare. It looked none the worse for wear, and it looked angry.

"Oh, that's just not cool" Teana remarked. "So how _do_ we kill it?"

"Maybe something that does Holy-type magic would do the trick" Sarah replied. "Like a Keyblade, or the Elements of Harmony."

"Of which we have neither at the moment" Shion said.

Suddenly, Spike coughed up a scroll. He unrolled it and began to read aloud. "'Twilight Sparkle, we have become aware of the situation you are in. I am bringing the Elements of Harmony as quickly as I can; you must hold out until I arrive with them. Signed, Princess Celestia'. So we just gotta hold the line 'til she gets here."

"Let's hope we can" Trixie replied.

"We've fought worse enemies before" Teana said. "Pain, Kadak, and the Lifemaker were stronger _and_ smarter than this thing."

"Yeah, but at least they had bodies that we could damage" Shion replied.

The Nightmare conjured and launched a barrage of flame-wreathed Darkness bolts. Everyone scattered to avoid them, Twilight casting a Shield spell to protect Fluttershy and Mai who hadn't been fast enough. Shion and Kaede each fired a _Katon: Gōkakyū_ at the daemonic entity, which shielded itself with its huge black wings, blocking the fireballs. Mai fired a Lightning-type _Sagitta Magica_ strike, the electrified bolts hitting and stunning Nightmare long enough for Teana to hit it with Phantom Fist, the magic-supercharged punch sending Nightmare flying. The dark being soon regained control and countered with a slicing wave of Darkness energy; a precisely-placed _Fūton: Shinkūha_ from Sarah cancelled it out, and was followed by a double _Shinkūgyoku_ from her and Teana, the Wind-chakra bullets battering the Nightmare, pushing it back.

The Nightmare let out a deep growl as it launched another flechette storm of razor-sharp 'feathers', aimed at Trixie and Ahsoka. Ahsoka focused the Force within herself, and just before the projectiles could hit she released a Force Repulse, the all-directions shockwave blasting away the feather-knives. The Nightmare then rushed at Ahsoka, only to be intercepted by Shion – now in her 1-Tailed Form – and slammed by a large chakra claw that sent it hurtling in the opposite direction. It slammed into a large tree, dispersing into mist on impact. After several seconds, it reformed again, still looking mostly unharmed. It tried to charge again, only to stop to avoid slamming into a wall of white fire that suddenly sprang up from the ground in its path. A flash of golden light amongst the group signaled Celestia's arrival.

"Quickly, girls!" she said, producing an ornate box. "Take the Elements!"

As soon as the girls rushed over and grabbed them, however, Nightmare roared, and in response a horde of shadowy creatures sprang up from the ground.

"I think it knows what we're up to" Pinka said through Pinkie.

"We'll hold these bastards off while you girls charge up your 'Rainbow Beam of Death' thing" Teana said, as she and the girls of Gamma Team got ready.

The small army of Nightmare's familiars charged, and the seven girls of Gamma rushed in to fight them. Sarah's gravity hammer sent a six-footer flying, and Ahsoka's lightsabers carved through several more. Nightmare itself flew over the battlefield and toward the six Element-Bearers, only for Celestia to meet it head on, the two trading blasts of Light and Darkness. The sextet grouped together, focusing their energies, and the Elements of Harmony began to glow with power. They slowly floated off the ground, eyes closed in concentration and serenity. Nightmare noticed, and its familiars began to charge at the girls en masse. However, Teana appeared in their path, weaving hand-seals and combining Fire chakra with _Kamui_ to create a spiraling vortex of flame:

"_Katon: Bakufū Ranbu_!"

The whirling flames decimated the enemy, roasting the vast majority of the charging dark creatures. The minority who survived still attempted to charge, only to be crushed and flung away by the Tailed-Beast chakra claws of Shion and Mai. The Nightmare, realizing that it was in trouble, got away from Celestia and began charging up a massive amount of Darkness power. Nightmare fired its attack first, a massive beam of black and purple energy. The girls' eyes opened, shining white, and a rainbow-colored beam of magic shot out from them. The two attacks met, pushing against each other; Nightmare's attack had already reached about two-thirds of the way to the girls, who had to strain to slowly push it back to the midpoint. At the same time, a new batch of Nightmare's familiars came up from the earth and shadows, attacking Celestia and Gamma Team to prevent them from interfering.

The ground beneath the beam shoving match cracked and buckled, and lightning-like discharges of energy crackled through the air. The girls strained and struggled as their attack was slowly pushed back. The Nightmare was overpowering them. Suddenly, a blast of dark-blue energy came curving in, smashing into the Nightmare's back, stunning and weakening it and allowing the girls to push their attack a little past the halfway point.

"Your long history of corruption ends here, foul daemon!" Princess Luna shouted at the Nightmare. "You shall not claim another sapient being again!"

She fired several more blasts, each one giving the girls the chance to push their own attack a little closer. Finally, a stronger attack came flying in, Teana having gotten enough room to form a Stage-1 _Susanō_ and throw a _Yasaka no Magatama _at Nightmare from behind. The attack exploded against Nightmare's back, harming and stunning it. The girls, sensing their chance, gave the Harmony Elements one more push, and this time it completely overwhelmed the Nightmare's attack and head-on with full force.

The rainbow-colored wave of Holy-type energy engulfed the Nightmare. An impossible sound echoed through the battlefield, the dark familiars vanishing into nothingness as their progenitor was consumed and utterly obliterated. A seven-hued explosion of light blasted the darkness away for good, dispelling the Dimension-Shift Barrier that surrounded the battlefield and allowing the sunlight to shine through once again. The girls slowly lowered to the ground, the glow of their Elements and their eyes fading. They stood, panting for breath, tired from the exertion of the struggle. The others walked up to them.

"Well, that was fun" Teana said.

"I'd say this calls for a party" Pinkie said, sounding a little tired. "Once we've got the energy to hold one again, that is."

"And we have to leave in a few days," Shion said, "so it could also be our going-away party."

Twilight looked up at them. "Wait, you have to leave soon?"

"Yeah" Teana replied. "We've got to attend our coalition's meeting with that other coalition – the one that Agent C.T. and her boyfriend are part of. We'll try to maintain contact with you guys, though, and our coalition will be maintaining a presence on this planet."

"I'll get to work on the party once we've gotten back to town and got our strength back" Pinkie said. "We'll throw it tomorrow."

"We'd better explain to the others what all the fireworks were about, first" Sarah said. "Some of them _had_ to have sensed or detected what happened here."

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Next Day – 1:15 PM**

**Sugarcube Corner**

The semi-private party was in full swing. In attendance were the Mane Six, Spike, Trixie, the Crusaders, Diamond & Silver, Gamma & Theta Teams (Sigma Team was stuck with patrol duty), Golden Tiara, Firefly, Trixie's family, and even Shining Armor & Cadence. Refreshments and stories were in plentiful supply, conversations (and gossip) flowing. Courtesy of the off-worlders, a big-screen plasma TV was set up on one of the walls, hooked to a game console. A _Rock Band_ session was currently underway; Pinkie Pie was on drums, Erika was on guitar (as usual for her, she was playing on Expert and was hitting every note), Golden was on bass, and Marie was the singer:

"_I tip my hat to the new constitution, take a bow for the new revolution, smile and grin at the change all around…_"

"…And so the doctor puts the banana in, and then waits, holding the hammer at the ready. After a few seconds, a little head pokes out and says 'Hey! Where's my cookie?' WHAM!"

Rainbow Dash burst out laughing at the punchline to Teana's somewhat-raunchy joke. Fluttershy had a light blush on her cheeks, but she too was hiding soft giggles behind her hoof.

"Jeez, how many dirty jokes do you humans have?" Applejack said, a grin on her face.

"Too many to ever count" Sarah replied. "I got one for ya…"

"I'm not saying you can't pull off some good simultaneous precision spell-casting, Twilight," Rarity said, presently in the middle of a "raw power vs. fine control" debate with her friend, "but some unicorns can make their magic _dance_."

"There are a few ponies who've seen me in action, Rarity" Twilight replied. "They seemed impressed."

"Yes, but I've actually seen you dance, Twilight. …No comment."

Twilight smirked. "Okay, then. How about a little contest?"

"I wonder who the other coalition will have." Shion said. "So far, we know they have an ex-Freelancer, an ODST, and at least two Jedi."

"One of whom I fought alongside a few times during the Clone Wars" Ahsoka replied. "I liked Master Kota. It'll be good to see him again. I wonder if he remembers me?"

Shion chuckled. "No-one could forget you, Ahsoka. You leave lasting impressions."

"…Is that supposed to be a compliment or not?"

"That depends on how you wish to take it."

A couple minutes later, Twilight and Rarity's little competition had drawn an audience. They were controlling multiple small rubber balls, making them fly around in complicated patterns and motions. One of the pair would make a move, and the other would then have to repeat it, before then switching roles. So far, both had yet to make any mistakes, though Twilight visibly had to put more effort into it as the tricks grew increasingly complicated. She'd never been particularly good at finesse and fine control, having had to train extensively for years to get to where she was now; in contrast, Rarity, though not possessing as much raw power as Twilight, had a natural gift for subtle yet complex manipulation of multiple objects at once. The 'quiet' part of the _Rock Band_ song, a single minutes-long keyboard/organ section, was playing in the background.

Rarity focused on her six rubber spheres, splitting them into two trios, where each one had two orbiting a third, and both orbiting sets also flew in a figure-eight pattern, the orbiting spheres of one central ball passing within the orbit paths of the other's without making contact. She turned to Twilight and smirked. Twilight gulped nervously, but then started working. She got the orbits going, and then began the figure-eight motions, tuning out the kicking up of drums in the background. The two orbiting groups became closer and closer, and she was just about to perform the first inter-orbit crossing…

"_YYYYEEEEEEEAAAAAHHHHH!-!-!-!_"

Marie's rather loud and enthusiastic resuming of the song's vocals startled Twilight, who squeaked and jumped up, her rubber balls bouncing off each other and flying every which way. Rarity let out a "Wahahaa~!" of triumph and started bowing to her applauding crowd. Twilight scowled, but then found herself grinning as she joined in the applause.

"_Meet the new boss! Same as the old boss!_"

Things would take a new direction in a couple days for a lot of them. But for now, their only concern was having fun.

**-**_**CHAPTER END**_**-**

Next Time: The last chapter of Book 15.


	19. Reuniting and Parting

And here's the final chapter of this Book. Nothing major, really… unless you count the wrapping up of a family-related plotline.

**PLEASE SEE CHAPTER ONE FOR MOST DISCLAIMERS**

PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE & CHARACTER PAGES

**-**_**CHAPTER START**_**-**

**Ponyville**

**Next Day After Previous Chapter's End – 12:15 PM**

Two young earth-pony mares walked down the main street of town, taking in the sights. They were sisters; one of them was 19, the other 17. The older one had a grey mane & tail, dark grey coat, and brown eyes, and her Cutie Mark was a sculpture of a pony. The young one had dark grey mane & tail, a light-grey coat, and purple eyes, and her Cutie Mark was a paintbrush and color palette. They had left home together around a decade ago as children, mainly to get away from their father whose narrow-minded stubbornness had cost them their sister – something they had never forgiven him or their mother for. They'd wandered the country, always together and looking out for each other. They'd been fortunate; many a kind family had taken them in along the way, sometimes for months at a time.

"Is it time for lunch yet, sis?" the younger asked.

"Sure" the older replied. "But where to eat? …Hey, look at that place; it looks like a giant gingerbread house!"

"Sugarcube Corner…" the younger read the sign on the front. "A bakery and sweets shop? Sounds good! I'll go get us something!"

Meanwhile, five of the Harmony-Element Bearers talked about various things as they helped themselves to a snack, while Pinkie Pie bustled about between the front counter and the kitchen, helping Mr. & Mrs. Cake move freshly-made goods out to display. Her ears perked up as she heard the front door swing open.

"Customer!" she cried, emerging in the main area within seconds. "Hi, welcome to Sugarcube Corner! How can I… help…y-you…"

Pinkie's speech faded away, smile becoming an expression of muted shock, eyes wide as she stared at the familiar pony before her. After a few seconds, the newcomer realized who she was looking at, impossible as it seemed to her.

"…Inkie?" Pinkie whispered.

"Pi…" Isabella "Inkie" Pie squeaked, barely audible. "Pinkamena? You're… You're alive?"

"…Yeah" A tiny smile formed on Pinkie's face. "It's me, sis."

Inkie's eyes quickly began to fill with tears. "It's really you… Y-You're alive… All this time, we… we all thought you were dead… That you'd died somewhere out in the wastelands after you ran away from home… But you're here… You're _alive_…"

Pinkie slowly walked up to her younger sibling, smiling at her and placing a comforting hoof on her shoulder. That did it; Inkie lunged into her arms, hugging her as tightly as she could, and began bawling. Pinkie held her little sister close, a few tears falling from her own eyes as Inkie sobbed and cried, nuzzling into her neck. After several seconds, the doors swung open as the other traveler burst in.

"Inkie?" Bellamina "Blinkie" Pie cried out with concern. "I heard you crying. What's… wrong… Oh, by the goddess… P-Pinkamena? Is that you?"

"Hi, Blinkie" Pinkie said, still holding Inkie, who was still sniffling and sobbing in her embrace, overcome with emotion. Pinkie, quite frankly, wanted nothing more than to join in, but she was Inkie's big sister, so she felt obligated to try and keep it together for her. …This was rendered moot when Blinkie joined in the hug, crying and nuzzling Pinkie, who promptly gave in and allowed her own tears of joy to fall, the trio collapsing into a ball of overjoyed sisterly affection.

"This isn't a dream" Blinkie said softly. "You're really alive. We found you. We thought you were dead! For so long, we've mourned you, Pinkie! W-We never forgave father and mother for what their actions led to. We left home only about a year after you did; we just couldn't stand living under the same roof as them anymore. We… I-I've got my other little sister back! I can't believe this is really happening! We've got you back!"

"I h-have two big sisters again!" Inkie cried. "I have both Sissy-Pies again!"

The reunited sisters spent a few more minutes like this, holding each other close. Eventually, they slowly broke apart.

"Inkie… Blinkie… There are a few ponies I want to introduce you to." Pinkie turned their attention to the other five Element-Bearers, who were smiling warmly; Fluttershy and Rarity were wiping away happy-tears from the touching reunion. "These are Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Applejack. They're my best, closest friends in the whole wide world."

"Pinkie's a joy to have around" Applejack said. "And it sounds like she means as much to you two as she does to us. So we're glad you've found her again."

Pinkie then gestured to Mr. and Mrs. Cake, who were looking on with joy. "And this is Cup Cake and Carrot Cake" Pinkie said. "It turns out that, when I wandered into the wastes, I accidentally pulled of a Leyline Jump that took me here to Ponyville. They found me half-dead, took me in, nursed me back to health, and… gave me the love that our parents never really gave me."

"For all intents and purposes, she's our daughter now" Mr. Cake said proudly. "And we've loved and cherished every moment we've had her."

"I'm glad that she still has other family who love her" Mrs. Cake said. "…You girls said you've been on your own since about a year after Pinkie left her birthplace?"

"Well, not entirely alone" Blinkie replied. "We've had each other, and there have been lots of nice families who've helped us out for stretches of time. We never stayed for very long, though."

"Well…" Mr. Cake said. "How would you like to change that? Ponyville is a very homey and welcoming place; you could live here if you'd like!"

Pinkie made a happy-gasp. "That's a great idea!" she chimed in. "We could be together for good now, and my friends could become your friends, too!"

"Well…" Inkie sniffled. "We don't exactly have anywhere else to go. …Whaddya say, sis?"

"It… It actually sounds like a really nice idea" Blinkie said after a moment's thought. "It'd be nice to finally settle down in one place."

Pinkie's grin got bigger. "Great!" she squealed. "And there are some more friends I've got to introduce you to, like Trixie and the Crusaders and Spike and Pinka…"

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Next Day – Day of Departure**

**11:45 AM**

The mood was bittersweet. In just a few hours, Teana and company would be leaving Equestria, traveling to take part in the meeting of coalitions elsewhere in space-time. They'd assured the girls that this would not, by any means, be the last time they saw each other, but the girls had gotten used to having them all around, so not seeing them all the time would definitely take some getting used to. A farewell sendoff was being planned, with parting gifts readied.

The Pie sisters were having a 'family outing' with the Cakes, a lunch at the park. Inkie and Blinkie had already started to grow on Pinkie's surrogate parents, and Mrs. Cake found herself mothering them now and then, which they actually kinda liked. Also, yesterday evening's explanation and introduction of 'Pinka' was something that Inkie & Blinkie were still trying to wrap their heads around, but they were okay with it once they started getting used to the idea.

Unbeknownst to the happy family, however, two older ponies, visitors from far away, had spotted and recognized them. They had heard the news lately, about the six ponies from a town in the shadow of Canterlot who'd purified Nightmare Moon, scared off an Ignis Dragon, pushed back a Parasprite infestation, and other incredible feats. One of the six heroines in particular, they had been very shocked to learn the identity of one of them. Now, they'd traveled a great deal to try and rectify their old mistakes. The stallion had a tan coat and shaded gray mane & tail, with a pickaxe for a Mark, while his wife had light-grey fur, gray-green mane & tail (the former done up in a tight bun), a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, and three rocks for a Cutie Mark.

"They she is" he said softly. "There they all are. All three of them…"

"She looks… so happy. …I'll bet those other two are the ones who took her in."

"…This is probably not going to go well."

"We have to do it, dear" she insisted. "We have to at least try."

"Right… Right. Here we go."

The picnicking semi-family looked up at the sound of hoofsteps approaching them. Upon seeing who it was, the sisters went rigid; Pinkie turned a little pale, and her mane near-totally deflated. Inkie broke the silence:

"F-Father… Mother…"

Upon hearing this, Carrot & Cup Cake suppressed gasps of shock, remembering everything they'd been told. Carrot scowled and got to his feet, walking between the girls; Pinkie and Inkie moved back a little, partially hiding behind him and Blinkie. He and Mr. Pie stared at each other for several seconds.

"I take it you and your wife are the ones who took the girls in" Mr. Pie said.

"Actually," Mr. Cake replied, "Inkie and Blinkie only showed up in town just yesterday. They and Pinkie are still catching up on everything. But Pinkie… Well, we've had her ever since we found her, the night she left your dwelling and stumbled upon a natural Leyline Gateway in the wastelands outside your property. She was a complete wreck, physically and emotionally; it took a great deal of love and care to get her healthy again."

"…You've been better parents to her than we ever could have" Mr. Pie admitted, surprising the sisters.

"Pinkamena…" Mrs. Pie spoke up. "We've wronged you grievously. All of you, actually."

"I… did a lot of thinking after you girls left" Mr. Pie said. "The reality of what we'd done… what _I'd_ done sank in. It all but destroyed me. I hurt you. I stomped on your Special Talent, tried to make you into something you weren't meant to be. I did things that no father should ever do. I don't know if it means anything to you at this point, but… we're so, _so_ sorry."

"…I…" Pinkie's voice cracked as emotions raged within her.

"We wanted to know if… if we could start over" Mrs. Pie said. "Make up for our mistakes. Please?"

Pinkie looked to her sisters.

"It's your call, sis" Blinkie said. "Whatever you decide, we'll support you."

"The same goes for us" Mrs. Cake added.

Pinkie was silent for a long, long time; for well over a minute, the only noise was the wind.

"I know that the mature thing to do would be to say yes" Pinkie said softly. "To bury the hatchet, accept apologies, and mend ties."

A spark of hope swelled in Mr. & Mrs. Pie's hearts.

"But…"

And then it began to die away.

"But I… I can't. I just… can't do that."

And then it faded out completely.

"After all that you did to me… The ways you hurt me, and stood back & let me suffer… Everything you said and did… I just… can't forgive you. It still hurts way too much. I still… hate you for it. I cannot forgive you. …Please… leave. Just… go, back to your home. Leave me alone. I… I don't ever want to see either of you again, for as long as I live. You're not my mother and father anymore. …You never were."

Mrs. Pie choked back a sob, her heart breaking, while her husband bowed his head, utterly defeated and lost. "V-Very well" he croaked out. "We'll… be on our way now. …Goodbye, Pinkamena. I'm sorry that it had to end this way."

With that, the broken couple turned around and slowly, sadly walked away. The group watched them as they left, until they disappeared from view altogether. Pinkie felt Mrs. Cake embrace her from behind, and she couldn't hold back the sob that came out as she turned around and hugged the older mare.

"It's alright, sweetie" Cup whispered. "I'm here. …Mommy's here."

"T-Thank you…" Pinkie whimpered out. "Mama…"

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Aboard the **_**Starshot**_

**Same Day – 4:10 PM**

Teana sat on her bed in her quarters, looking at a vid-screen showing the town of Ponyville from above, shrinking as the _Starshot_ ascended through the atmosphere. The touching send-off that the inhabitants of Ponyville had given them would remain in her memory for a long, long time. They had been given a fair number of gifts from their equine friends – a few spellbooks from Twilight, some exquisitely designed and very comfortable outfits from Rarity, a beautiful painting of Capital Mountain at sunrise from Inkie and Fluttershy, and Theta Team had received 'Crusader Capes' from the three fillies, recognizing them as honorary members even though all except Mariko already had their Marks when in pony form. Trixie had promised to continue the chakra training regimen that Teana had laid out for her, while her mother and siblings had sworn to continue building up Trixie's self-confidence, hoping to maybe someday break down the psychosomatic block on her magic and get her Cutie Mark back.

It wasn't like it was goodbye forever. They would most definitely be coming back for a visit within the next few months, if Teana had anything to say about it. For now, though, she laid back, splaying out on her bed and letting the climate-controlled cool air from the ceiling A/C vents wash over her. She couldn't help but feel a twinge of anticipatory excitement – a whole new coalition of multiple factions was out there, and soon they were going to meet the coalition that she belonged to. What new allies awaited them? Only time would tell…

In the space above the planet, time-space rippled, and a bluish-black rift in reality formed. The _Starshot_ flew in, and the rift closed, leaving a faint ripple that only briefly distorted the light from distant stars.

**-**_**BOOK 15 END**_**-**

And that's that. Look for Book 16 – Convergence – in the "Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha and X-Overs" crossover section. It may take a little while, but it'll most likely be out before the end of the month. Until then…


End file.
